Work

Joseonjok (Korean‐Chinese) as an Internal Normative Center: Perceptions of Linguistic Ownership Among Chinese Learners of Korean

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT While existing research on Korean as a foreign language (KFL) has increasingly focused on learner motivation, KFL learners’ linguistic ownership remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how Han Chinese learners of Korean perceive and negotiate their linguistic ownership in relation to the perceived linguistic capital of Joseonjok (Korean‐Chinese) in China. Using Q methodology to capture the perspectives of 14 Han Chinese Korean language majors at a major Chinese university in Shanghai, the analysis reveals a shared recognition of the value of Korean teachers’ standard accents and Joseonjok's advantages in China's job market. The Han Chinese participants displayed three distinct orientations: ownership pressure vis‐à‐vis Joseonjok, ownership assertion of the self, and ownership cession to Korean norms. The findings demonstrate that, while linguistic “hierarchies of prestige” in Korean persist, linguistic instrumentalism recalibrates the value of Joseonjok's heritage language capital in China, thereby shifting struggles over ownership from transnational identity politics to localized competition. This study extends discussions on linguistic ownership beyond English‐dominant contexts and offers pedagogical implications for KFL education.

Source: International Journal of Applied Linguistics

DOI: 10.1111/ijal.70391

Authors: Yunzhe Huang, Mi Yung Park

Institutions: Fudan University, University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Multilingual Education and Policy

Subfield: Linguistics and Language

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,240