본문 바로가기
  • Home

Study on the Expanded Use of the Personal Honorific ‘bun(분)’

YERIM AHN 1 Yang, Myunghee 1

1중앙대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to identify the new usages and functions of the personal honorific ‘bun’ in internet communication languages (ICL). To do this, we retrieved all the comments containing the word ‘bun’ that were posted on Twitter throughout the year 2017. The findings of this study are as follows. First, in ICL, ‘bun’ is used not only to represent its original meaning and function; it is also combined with a new form of address that does not carry any personal or honorific connotations. Second, Twitter users use ‘bun’ to refer to any person they are addressing, regardless of social status. Third, ‘bun’ is used in connection with the “fun-seeking”function of ICL. Finally, it is evident that the use of ‘bun’ in ICL has begun to influence everyday language. Wide-ranging studies on changing everyday use of ‘bun’ are needed.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.