Reading beyond Cultural Barriers: A Study on American Adolescents` Responses to the Korean Picture Book, Doggy Poo

( Soon Hee Kwon ),( Yang Ha Kim ) 국어교육학회 2015 국어교육학연구 Vol.50 No.5

This qualitative research is to explore how American adolescents perceive, interpret and understand Doggy Poo, which is a translated Korean picture book. This research started with three questions to be resolved. 1) How American adolescent readers appreciate Doggy Poo? 2) How do cultural backgrounds affect American adolescents’ responses on Doggy Poo? 3) How do American adolescents transform their prior thoughts in order to accommodate new thoughts and knowledge that Doggy Poo implies? These questions will be dealt with through out the research. Results found follow as below. All of the participants had agreed that the Doggy Poo have great messages and lessons. However, they contended that there are some aspects of something strange or weird to American adolescents. We found that the strangeness or weirdness felt by the participants was largely due to the main character who is a literally dog’s poop. Especially, some of participants who have Indian cultural backgrounds were bothered by use of doggy poo as main character and Christian orientation based on their cultural value-laden interpretation. That kind of cultural backgrounds seemed to affect their appreciation of Doggy Poo. Throughout the research, participants found themselves transformed by being touched by great messages of the story and their perspectives changed. They experienced ‘reading beyond cultural barriers.’ Before starting this research, there was an assumption that cultural differences between Korean and American may prevent American readers from understanding the themes and messages of the book that the author intended to portray and Korean readers receive when reading the book. Contrary to the assumption, most participants understood the theme and message of the book and appreciated its greatness as a children’s book. Some students have felt some disturbances or cultural shock due to cultural differences. In spite of that, they could read great messages that Doggy Poo provides beyond cultural barriers. This study asks us look into our assumptions about text, culture, readers, and reading. We could see the transforming powers that the Kwon Jung-Saeng’s honorable story, Doggy Poo has. One of the most important things for translated Korean books is themes and messages based on the condition that translation is well done. There is little barrier of cultural backgrounds that prevent the foreign readers from understanding if the translated Korean books have powerful messages and themes. This research suggests that educators or researchers should take into account cultural diversities of readers in other countries as well because there are many subcultural groups different from mainstreams even though they are regarded as a same group in terms of nationality. To get better readers to read translated Korean books and understand well, educators and researchers should consider cultural/social/personal backgrounds of readers as “linguistic experiential reservoirs” (Rosenblatt, 1985;2004) and try to provide more dialogical and collaborative contexts for the reading events.

The Role of Cultural Values and Perception as Reflected in Korean Request Strategies

Jin-Ok Hong 언어과학회 2015 언어과학연구 Vol.0 No.73

Brown and Levinson (1987) associate strategic honorific use with FTAs in relationship to(im)politenesslinguistic strategies. However, they do not address whether cultural values embedded within honorific devices function as another pragmatic negotiator in the perception of linguistic (im) politeness. Since cultural values are intrinsically built within both language and culture, they function as powerful social rules in social interaction. In Korean society, the `Confucian frame` can be acquired and developed throughout one`s lifetime through social practice, and is, therefore, shared cultural knowledge to be used as pragmatic tools in human interaction. This culturally-learned frame thus becomes a system of behavioral rules, and affects the way a participant interacts and negotiates social meaning in situated contexts. Norms, individual frames, and the context of the interaction are anchored in feedback that is regulated by cultural script. Because the uses of honorific forms and cultural values are closely linked to semantic connotations, understanding the values embedded within Korean honorific forms requires an understanding of the underlying Confucian framework (the cultural script). In order to better understand the multi-functionality of politeness, researchers should analyze those meta-pragmatic functions existing far beyond linguistic dimensions. The values that are embedded within Korean honorific usage are invisible, mental and meta-pragmatic. Perceptions reflected in meta-linguistic behavior thus require a cultural frame to precisely interpret linguistic (im) politeness, especially within interactional discourse contexts. Nonetheless, many previous studies have neglected to analyze meta-pragmatic aspects of cultural values embedded within functional linguistic strategies in discourse contexts. The current study extends pre-existent politeness research in two important ways. First, it notes that cultural values embedded within honorifics play key roles in achieving the speaker`s pragmatic goals. Second, it observes that directness embedded within cultural values prevents it from being perceived as face threatening, since cultural values interacting with meta-pragmatic dimensions result in mitigating FTAs within interactional discourse contexts. A speaker`s perception of politeness is thereby effectively controlled by utilizing cultural values.

The Role of Cultural Values and Perception as Reflected in Korean Request Strategies

홍진옥 언어과학회 2015 언어과학연구 Vol.0 No.73

Brown and Levinson (1987) associate strategic honorific use with FTAs in relationship to(im)politenesslinguistic strategies. However, they do not address whether cultural values embedded within honorific devices function as another pragmatic negotiator in the perception of linguistic (im) politeness. Since cultural values are intrinsically built within both language and culture, they function as powerful social rules in social interaction. In Korean society, the ‘Confucian frame’ can be acquired and developed throughout one’s lifetime through social practice, and is, therefore, shared cultural knowledge to be used as pragmatic tools in human interaction. This culturally-learned frame thus becomes a system of behavioral rules, and affects the way a participant interacts and negotiates social meaning in situated contexts. Norms, individual frames, and the context of the interaction are anchored in feedback that is regulated by cultural script. Because the uses of honorific forms and cultural values are closely linked to semantic connotations, understanding the values embedded within Korean honorific forms requires an understanding of the underlying Confucian framework (the cultural script). In order to better understand the multi-functionality of politeness, researchers should analyze those meta-pragmatic functions existing far beyond linguistic dimensions. The values that are embedded within Korean honorific usage are invisible, mental and meta-pragmatic. Perceptions reflected in meta- linguistic behavior thus require a cultural frame to precisely interpret linguistic (im) politeness, especially within interactional discourse contexts. Nonetheless, many previous studies have neglected to analyze meta- pragmatic aspects of cultural values embedded within functional linguistic strategies in discourse contexts. The current study extends pre-existent politeness research in two important ways. First, it notes that cultural values embedded within honorifics play key roles in achieving the speaker’s pragmatic goals. Second, it observes that directness embedded within cultural values prevents it from being perceived as face threatening, since cultural values interacting with meta-pragmatic dimensions result in mitigating FTAs within interactional discourse contexts. A speaker’s perception of politeness is thereby effectively controlled by utilizing cultural values.

언어교육과 언어문화: 어휘를 중심으로

이충우 ( Choong Woo Lee ) 한국독서학회 2010 독서연구 Vol.0 No.24

“Linguistic culture” is one of the culture education, because language is a part of the culture. But, this definition is too wide and this approaches makes to misthink to language education. Language education is “teaching language”. This study defines “linguistic culture contains cultural language,language in culture, culture in language, and lingual culture.” It is narrowest definition of linguistic culture that not intensified cultural but intensified language. This study is new method that approaches to how describe about “‘degree of language’, ‘degree of culture’ in “linguistic culture”. “Linguistic culture” must be language education, cultural approaches must be relate to linguistic contains as cultural language and lingual culture etc. “Linguistic culture education” will be more study by many scholars.

Cultural Embodiment of Fear Expressions in Korean and Its Implications for L2 Context

민수정 한국현대영어영문학회 2018 현대영어영문학 Vol.62 No.2

The use of language both L1 and L2 needs to be investigated from the perspective of cultural linguistics in order to gain a better understanding how language is culturally conceptualized. This study aims to give some insights into the role of cultural conceptualizations by examining the cultural embodiment of fear expressions in Korean. This study argues that the conceptualization of fear in Korean is culturally embodied in two different types. First, the fear expressions in Korean show supposedly physiological embodiment, where the fear expression portraits a body part which is thought to be physiologically influenced by the emotion. Second, the fear expressions in Korean also show culturally specific embodiment, where the fear expression provides schematic profile of a part of body assumed to be affected by fear but the level is basically rooted in culture. The practical implications of cultural embodiment of emotion will be suggested for cross-cultural communication and L2 teaching and learning.

한국어교육의 문화인지적 접근방법 ― 문화인지교수법

강보유 ( Baoyou Jiang ) 중국한국(조선)어교육연구학회 2015 한국(조선)어교육연구 Vol.10 No.-

Culture-cognitive teaching method is based on cultural linguistics and cognitive linguistics. Cultural linguistics explains the cultural genes on the structure of languages, while cognitive linguistics explains what language structure reflects on consciousness. Culture-cognition is an organic whole, not simply adding the concept of culture to cognition. Culture-cognition reflects the relevance of culture and cognition projected on language structure. Through culture-cognitive mirror, the individuality and the universality of language can be observed. Culture is like a magnifier, highlighting the individuality, and cognition is like a microscope, registering universality. Cognition acts like a link, showing universality, while culture plays the role of a basis, highlighting the varied characteristics of different languages. The principles of culture-cognitive teaching method include the principle of teachers’ qualification, the principle of students’ cooperation, the principle of culture-cognitive explanation, and the principle of textbook writing.

국어학 : 국어 교육에서의 문화 교육

조오현 ( Oh Hyun Cho ) 겨레어문학회 2007 겨레어문학 Vol.38 No.-

The 7th national education curriculum emphasized the cultural education more than nay other education courses in the education history. Even the Korean education decisively expands and emphasizes the cultural education beyond its limit as the tool education. The Korean education defines that the Korean is the course to establish the wills to contribute on the development of Korean and promotion of Korean culture. As emphasizing the cultural education by defining that Korean education aims to cultivate the ability and attitude to promote the linguistic culture and understand the Korean culture, goals of Korean education are to cultivate the attitude to understand and favor the Korean tradition and culture(elementary school), to develop the confidence on the Korean tradition and culture and so to promote them(middle school) and to cultivate the attitude to develop the Korean tradition and culture in the world(high school)., the cultural education was emphasized. For the teaching instruction, the cultural education was expanded even to the contents to teach including speaking, listening, writing and reading that were merely the tool education in the past need to be understood as the social and cultural processes, speaking, listening, writing and reading are understood as the culture of the relevant times. Furthermore, the language is considered as the culture. The curriculum set the goal to achieve the cultural education through the Korean education by emphasizing the cultural value of Hangul(Hunminjeongeum)(Korean). This study assumed that the teachers firstly needed to secure the special knowledge on this field for the successful achievement of such educational purposes described above. Thus, I identified the cultural values of Hangul(Hunminjeongeum) by investigating the chapter Explanation of the Design of the Letters of Hunminjeongeum in order to provide the special knowledge to the teachers.

Culturally Loaded Conceptual Metaphors in Korean and Implications for L2 Learning

민수정 한국현대영어영문학회 2017 현대영어영문학 Vol.61 No.3

Metaphor use is identified by conceptual variation that can be explained in relation to culture-specific discourse traditions. Through the cultural linguistic analysis, this study examines Korean culture-specific conceptual metaphors and argues that the Korean language use embodies the underlying culturally loaded conceptualizations. By providing three Korean culture-specific conceptual bodily organ metaphors such as heart, face, and liver, this study discusses the importance of cultural conceptualizations behind linguistic expression in both L1 acquisition and L2 learning. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the Korean bodily organ metaphors are culturally loaded and conceptualized, therefore, can be differently understood among the speakers across cultures and languages. This study demonstrates the cultural relativity which puts in doubt traditional assumptions about metaphor use and argues that L2 learning is likely to involve confronting new systems of cultural conceptualization. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of intercultural conceptual fluency and metaphorical competence of L2 learning within the framework of cultural linguistics.

Cultural Embodiment of Fear Expressions in Korean and Its Implications for L2 Context

( Min Sujung ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2018 현대영어영문학 Vol.62 No.2

The use of language both L1 and L2 needs to be investigated from the perspective of cultural linguistics in order to gain a better understanding how language is culturally conceptualized. This study aims to give some insights into the role of cultural conceptualizations by examining the cultural embodiment of fear expressions in Korean. This study argues that the conceptualization of fear in Korean is culturally embodied in two different types. First, the fear expressions in Korean show supposedly physiological embodiment, where the fear expression portraits a body part which is thought to be physiologically influenced by the emotion. Second, the fear expressions in Korean also show culturally specific embodiment, where the fear expression provides schematic profile of a part of body assumed to be affected by fear but the level is basically rooted in culture. The practical implications of cultural embodiment of emotion will be suggested for cross-cultural communication and L2 teaching and learning. (Kongju National University)

Culturally Loaded Conceptual Metaphors in Korean and Implications for L2 Learning

( Min Sujung ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2017 현대영어영문학 Vol.61 No.3

Metaphor use is identified by conceptual variation that can be explained in relation to culture-specific discourse traditions. Through the cultural linguistic analysis, this study examines Korean culture-specific conceptual metaphors and argues that the Korean language use embodies the underlying culturally loaded conceptualizations. By providing three Korean culture-specific conceptual bodily organ metaphors such as heart, face, and liver, this study discusses the importance of cultural conceptualizations behind linguistic expression in both L1 acquisition and L2 learning. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the Korean bodily organ metaphors are culturally loaded and conceptualized, therefore, can be differently understood among the speakers across cultures and languages. This study demonstrates the cultural relativity which puts in doubt traditional assumptions about metaphor use and argues that L2 learning is likely to involve confronting new systems of cultural conceptualization. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of intercultural conceptual fluency and metaphorical competence of L2 learning within the framework of cultural linguistics.