Literature Review - Part 1: Impact of Korean heritage language maintenance on ethnic identity

A heritage language is defined as a language spoken and learned by minority communities in a region that differs from the language spoken by the dominant culture. Usually, it is learned at home through interactions with parental figures that maintain a greater degree of familiarity with the heritage language and culture, such as first-generation immigrants. Therefore, studies about Korean immigrant parents’ attitudes towards heritage language learning, as well as studies on the effects of heritage language maintenance on second-generation Korean immigrants were evaluated in this literature review.

Kim (2011) found that Korean heritage language schools provide both emotional and social support for Korean immigrant families. Since Korean heritage language schools provide foundational education on the language and culture of Korean immigrants’ country of origin, it also serves as a link between both first-generation Korean immigrants and their children by reducing cultural barriers.

The study was conducted at St. Clare Church in the southeastern United States, which hosts a Korean heritage language school. As a Korean Catholic church, St. Clare provided lessons on Bible study along with Korean language learning programs. Pre-kindergarten level Korean children, mothers, and teachers were chosen as participants; the young age range allowed Kim to analyze the first transition of immigrant students from home to school. Data was collected through participant observation, note taking, and semi-formal interviews. The perspectives of Korean American mothers towards heritage language schools were compared with their attitudes towards the American school system (Kim 2011).

After the research, Kim (2011) discovered that immigrant mothers generally regarded American schools to be the center of academic learning while heritage language schools were considered to be sources of emotional and social development. For example, one of the participants noted that her son developed his friendships exclusively from Korean language schools and felt that American schools did not provide enough emotional or social support to develop friendships with Anglo-American children. Korean children were reported to share difficulties in forming connections with Anglo-American children as they would be one of the few Asian children in formal schools with different cultural values and rules when playing. On the other hand, Korean pre-kindergarten children reportedly began to speak mainly English at home after first entering American schools, signifying a loss of connection to their original Korean cultural identity. Parents noted that they felt more disconnected to their children once they began to communicate with English rather than Korean, reflecting a quicker rate of acculturation into American culture by second-generation Koreans compared to first-generation immigrants. Therefore, the Korean heritage language school helps bridge the gaps between generations by teaching the Korean language and instilling vital cultural values and mannerisms. The heritage language schools also fostered a successful balance between American and Korean identities within adolescents by teaching cultural traditions and easing the acculturative stress level of Korean immigrants. Overall, the study by Kim (2011) found that most Korean immigrant parents held positive views on heritage language schools which boost a healthy relationship between second-generation Korean Americans and their cultural identity.

References

Becker, D. J. (2013). Parents’ Attitudes Toward Their Children ’s Heritage Language

Maintenance: The Case of Korean Immigrant Parents in West Michigan. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1058&context=theses

Jang, S.-J. S. (2016). Social Capital and Cultural Identity for U.S. Korean Immigrant

Families: Mothers' and Children's Perceptions of Korean Language Retention. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/1800272194/9A941F3AF2A14628PQ/1

Jeon, M. (2008, March 5). Korean heritage language maintenance and language ideology.

Brill. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://brill.com/view/journals/hlj/6/2/article-p206_4.xml

Kang, H. (2004). Heritage language maintenance, acculturation, and identity: Chinese and

Korean 1.5 generation immigrants in New Jersey. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=osu1143819278&disposition=inline

Kim, J. (2011). Korean Immigrant Mothers’ Perspectives: The Meanings of a Korean

Heritage Language School for Their Children’s American Early Schooling Experiences. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/864079246/fulltextPDF/9A941F3AF2A14628PQ/3?accountid=41837

Kim, M. (2015). Running head: Heritage language loss in Korean immigrants heritage ...

Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/bitstream/handle/1993/30381/Kim_Minji.pdf?sequence=1

By Anjal Anand

Editor Suhh Yeon Kim