Ideologies in second language learning: the case of Korean address terms

This paper explores how textbooks for second language learners make ideologically motivated decisions regarding which forms of the target language are included in the curriculum. We explore this question via an analysis of Korean language textbooks, at a time when Korean society is becoming increasingly globalized and multicultural. The focus is on the representation of the highly developed system of address terms in Korean. Although address terms are known to play an important role in shaping intimacy and hierarchy in Korean interactions, textbooks represent them in vastly simplified ways. Through complementing the textbook analysis with survey data from native speakers and L2 learners, we see that these simplified patterns correspond somewhat to perceptions of how these culturally-imbued markers of intimacy and hierarchy would be used in cross-cultural interactions, which persist despite the moves towards multiculturalism. These perceptions are variegated depending on ethno-national identity, and co-constructed by the L2 learners themselves.