So-Yeon Ahn

This study explored South Korean university students’ perceptions of different English varieties and their speakers, student attitudes towards the learning of English and its varieties, and the role of these attitudinal variables in the learning of English as a foreign language. One-hundred-one students who were enrolled in four sections of a semester-long English course completed a country-rating task and a perception questionnaire of recorded English speech samples (European-American-, Indian-

This study investigates the concept of teacher identity of native-English speakers in South Korea by examining public texts, mainly English immersion camp advertisements and teacher recruitment materials. To this end, a social semiotic multimodal analysis was employed to scrutinize how these public narratives and visual images, populated with non-neutral discourses, construct a certain image of teacher identity and, as a result, perpetuate societal ideologies. The findings underscore how the dis

The present study explores Korean students' demonstration of language awareness through their engagement in language play. Grounded in the understanding of the relationship between language play and an ‘engagement with language’ (EWL) perspective, this ethnographic and discourse analytic study investigates how Korean students aged 11–15 engage in ludic language play in English immersion camps in South Korea and discusses how these episodes offer learners an opportunity to display their language

Given a heavy social, ideological pressure for parents to pursue better English education for their children in the globalized world, short-term English immersion camp programs have emerged as an educational option in South Korea, promoted as environments for intercultural communication between native English-speaking teachers and local Korean students. Examining teacher recruitment materials and promotional materials of 52 English camps, this paper explores how intercultural communicative compe

Abstract In the climate of shifting language policies and constant influx of native English-speaking teachers to South Korea, the question of what constitutes a “good” language teacher (GLT) arises. To this end, the present study examines how 577 young English learners (K-6th grade) come to demonstrate their understanding of GLT by making use of visual images and written narratives. A social semiotic, multimodal approach to analysis is employed to scrutinize how these textual and visual narrativ

This paper investigates the ‘imagined’ English language learner (ELL) identities of Korean undergraduates in comparison with the construction of their ‘past/current’ identities. In an environment of globalization and accelerated development of technology, South Koreans view English as a crucial medium to obtain success. In this educational and societal context, this study examines how ELLs view their imagined ELL identities and communities through their drawings and written descriptions. Grounde

Abstract Situated at the intersection of language, discourse, and communication studies, the present study delves into the dynamics of human-artificial intelligence (AI) interactions. Our study centers on AI-based voice assistants which employ natural language processing to communicate with human users. With a dataset derived from 200 recorded interactions between human users and AI-based voice assistants of a leading Korean telecommunications provider, we investigate the intricate dialogue patt

Abstract: This article explores the interface between language play and language awareness. Grounded in an understanding of two kinds of language play, ludic language play and language play as rehearsal, it shows how the shared theoretical underpinnings and distinctive features of both overlap with the concept of language awareness. Spanning across cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of learners’ language awareness, both types of language play highlight learners’ conscious perception and

This study explores the notion of ‘good language teacher’ (GLT) identity in the context of English education in South Korea. While other studies have investigated parents’ and general public preferences for and associations of good language teacher identity with ‘native-speaking’ teachers of English, little research has examined the views of young learners as to what constitutes a GLT. In this study, a survey tool was used to collect student images and descriptions of imagined, good English teac

Intercultural journeys: from study to residence abroad, by Jane Jackson, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, vii + 251 pp., US$84.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-230-52721-8 Not limited to students major...