@article{ART003388736},
author={Oh, Saenae},
title={The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s},
journal={The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea},
issn={1226-4822},
year={2026},
volume={34},
number={3},
pages={179-206}
TY - JOUR
AU - Oh, Saenae
TI - The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s
JO - The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea
PY - 2026
VL - 34
IS - 3
PB - The Sociolinguistic Society Of Korea
SP - 179
EP - 206
SN - 1226-4822
AB - The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, 31(2), 201-233. This study examines how university students born in the 2000s perceive the conditions for Korean national identity, focusing on the role of Korean language proficiency within this framework and its relationship to language attitudes. Survey responses from 406 students across four regions were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis, correlation, and regression. First, respondents conceptualized identity around acquirable civic conditions rather than innate lineage. Proficiency loaded on the civic factor and was rated above lineage-based conditions, although the required level was higher for Koreans than for foreigners and overseas Koreans. Second, evaluations of lineage conditions and proficiency did not vary together. The two were correlated, but lineage no longer explained proficiency once civic conditions were controlled for. Third, treating proficiency as a national condition correlated with respect for domestic dialects but not for Korean varieties spoken by overseas Koreans. This pattern suggests an unformed judgment rather than a negative evaluation, although this interpretation is based on a single item. By integrating national identity with language attitudes, the study shows that requiring an acquirable condition does not necessarily entail respect for the varieties of that language and argues for distinguishing the nature of a condition from that of a boundary.
KW - National Identity;Language Ideology;Civic Condition;Sociolinguistic Erasure;Overseas Koreans
DO -
UR -
ER -
Oh, Saenae. (2026). The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, 34(3), 179-206.
Oh, Saenae. 2026, "The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s", The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, vol.34, no.3 pp.179-206.
Oh, Saenae "The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s" The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 34.3 pp.179-206 (2026) : 179.
Oh, Saenae. The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s. 2026; 34(3), 179-206.
Oh, Saenae. "The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s" The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 34, no.3 (2026) : 179-206.
Oh, Saenae. The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, 34(3), 179-206.
Oh, Saenae. The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea. 2026; 34(3) 179-206.
Oh, Saenae. The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s. 2026; 34(3), 179-206.
Oh, Saenae. "The status of Korean language proficiency as a condition for Korean national identity: Focusing on university students born in the 2000s" The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 34, no.3 (2026) : 179-206.
