2011, Vol.19, No.2

The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.57

pISSN : 1226-4822
https://journal.kci.go.kr/socioling

This study, using the variationist framework, investigates Korean speakers' usage of haeyo and hapsyo styles on the basis of movie and TV drama scripts. One linguistic constraint (sentence type) and six extra-linguistic constraints (gender, formulaicness, age group, intimacy, dialogue scene, hierarchical relationship) were chosen as potential factors influencing variation between haeyo and hapsyo styles. The seven potential constraints were all analyzed by a multivariate analysis using Goldvarb as affecting the variation examined. Gender was among the top four factors constraining the variation along with formulaicness, dialogue scene, and sentence type. The percentages of the hapsyo and haeyo usage of male characters were 16.1 and 83.9, respectively, while those of females were 6.3 and 93.7. Some (but not significant) degree of group-internal variation was observed in both gender groups. A quantitative analysis was also conducted of eight haeyo-style expressions proposed by previous research as occurring especially often in women's speech. In the data examined, five of them were found to occur significantly more often in female characters' data; one was observed more in men's, while the remaining two were rarely found in both gender groups' data. An attempt is also made to explain the gender difference in the usage of haeyo and hapsyo styles using the (sub-culture) difference approach.

There are many studies which have investigated biases hidden in ELT materials, particularly reading texts. But English grammar books haven't received much attention regarding the issue because their contents are considered as instruments for explaining grammar points. This paper thoroughly examines biases in an English grammar book, Grammar in Use Intermediate(GIUI), with regard to the following two aspects: idealization of the culture of native speakers of English, and gender bias. The findings show that materialism tends to be considered as a norm putting so much emphasis on money. With regard to gender bias, there are mixed results. Males are more dominant than females with respect to appearing as main characters, initiating conversations, and being mentioned ahead of the other gender. Males and females are treated equally in participating at active sports and pursuing various occupations. On the other hand, unethical or unlawful acts are alloted to males overwhelmingly more often than to females. The findings of this study can be used as a list for checking hidden biases in English teaching materials.

The English language does not possess a 3rd person singular epicene pronoun normally used in a sex-indefinite or gender-neutral context, so the masculine 3rd person singular “he” has taken the role for over centuries. However, many researchers have indicated that generic he is not exclusively sex-neutral in that it evokes masculine imagery. For this reason, in English speaking countries, singular they has successfully evolved as an alternative to generic he. Nevertheless, in the Korean EFL setting, where the importance of English education has been emphasized, the actual use and perception of the English epicene pronoun has rarely been considered. In this context, this study investigated Korean EFL learners’ use and perception of the 3rd person epicene pronoun in sex-neutral contexts. The research observed that generic he was the learners’ most preferred choice of pronoun though it indeed evoked masculine images, whereas singular they was neither widely accepted, nor often used. The present study also determined to what extent the use and perception of epicene pronouns were related to and affected by linguistic and biographical variables. It was also demonstrated that simplicity in epicene pronoun use could have assumed priority over nonsexist expression among some Korean EFL learners. The present study has implications in that it contributes to epicene pronoun education in Korean EFL settings, and to build awareness in Korean EFL learners regarding the issue of sex bias in language.