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Research Article

Language awareness of the Multicultural background Korean Language Education Community members

WON JIN SOOK

서울교육대학교

Published: January 2013 · No. 46 · pp. 111-138

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20880/kler.2013..46.111

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Abstract

The number of culturally, linguistically diverse students has rapidly increased as Korea shifts towards a multicultural society. It is necessary that we will investigate the Korean language eduction’s future directions for strengthening Multicultrual background Korean Language Education Community Awareness. So, in this paper we examine the language awareness from the perspectives of language majorities and minorities group members within newly emerging multicultural background Korean language education community through the qualitative research method of analyzing literacy activity data. In this study, the concept of ‘language awareness’was defined as a meaning of the various psychological attitude or values of people feel about the language. Based on the analyzing literacy activity data, the language awareness of the majority group members can be summarized as follows: Korean language education must be expanded its extension to include the culturally, linguistically diverse students and cultivate the language majorities students’ multicultural sensitivity and multicultural literacy. On the other hand, the minority group members recognize that they have to learn Korean language for survival, but the mainstream language is hard to learn due to the linguistic and cultural differences. So they suffer difficulties such as miscommunication, social distance, alienation and low self-esteem because they use different language with the majority group members. This is why the language is directly connected with the issue of identity. In short, we suggest the desirable direction of the Korean Language Education with the basis of the above discussion as follows: First, We should strengthen the potential of the Korean language education as a tool for the social integration of the majorities and the minorities group members in this multicultural society. Second, we should include multicultural awareness and attitudes at the level of ideology and goals of Korean language education. Finally, we should seek to expand the extension of Korean language education for the minority students with the multicultural background.
Keywords: 언어 의식언어 소수자다수자다문화 배경 국어 공동체다문화 배경 국어교육