@article{ART003388706},
author={Kang Hyeon-Sook},
title={Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions},
journal={The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea},
issn={1226-4822},
year={2026},
volume={34},
number={3},
pages={1-28}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kang Hyeon-Sook
TI - Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions
JO - The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea
PY - 2026
VL - 34
IS - 3
PB - The Sociolinguistic Society Of Korea
SP - 1
EP - 28
SN - 1226-4822
AB - This study examines English-Korean code-mixing in the everyday and digital discourse of Korean university students, investigating the pragmatic functions underlying this practice. A survey was developed by three experts in sociolinguistics and pragmatics and administered to 383 university students at a university in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Two rounds of exploratory factor analysis validated a five-factor, 16-item structure: communicative efficiency, playful function, translingual creativity, face-saving mitigation, and social identity. A repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant differences among the five functions, with communicative efficiency (M=3.40) rated highest, followed by playful function (M=3.13), translingual creativity (M=2.88), face-saving mitigation (M=2.65), and social identity (M=2.23). Code-mixing also varied significantly by interlocutor (friends > strangers/family > seniors > professors) and medium (text messaging > face-to-face > social media > email/presentations). Content analysis of two open-ended items revealed that face-saving mitigation and playful function, though lower on the Likert-scale items, emerged prominently in students‘ reported experiences, adding depth to the quantitative findings. These results show that English-Korean code-mixing, previously regarded as a marked choice signaling elite status, has shifted into an unmarked, agentive strategy oriented toward practicality and playful peer bonding, calibrated according to social context.
KW - English-Korean code-mixing;code-switching;pragmatic functions;university students;translingual practice
DO -
UR -
ER -
Kang Hyeon-Sook. (2026). Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, 34(3), 1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. 2026, "Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions", The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, vol.34, no.3 pp.1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook "Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions" The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 34.3 pp.1-28 (2026) : 1.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions. 2026; 34(3), 1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. "Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions" The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 34, no.3 (2026) : 1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, 34(3), 1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea. 2026; 34(3) 1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions. 2026; 34(3), 1-28.
Kang Hyeon-Sook. "Patterns of English-Korean code-mixing among university students and its pragmatic functions" The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 34, no.3 (2026) : 1-28.
