Abstract

Heritage language speakers from immigrant families often navigate between two languages and cultures as they form their personal identities. In this process, some develop their identity through their personal choices and external pressures, while others remain in a state of identity confusion. Although many factors contribute to the formation of their identity, the field of language education has continued to focus on the relationship between language proficiency and identity, assuming language ability could be one of the key influences. This study investigated the relationship between Korean speaking proficiency and cultural identity among Korean heritage language speakers born in the United States to Korean immigrant parents. It also examined the factors that may have contributed to varying degrees of Korean identity and speaking proficiency. Participants included 30 individuals, the majority of whom were between the ages of 18 and 28 and resided in Utah. To assess cultural identity, two surveys were administered. Speaking proficiency was measured using storytelling tasks based on visual prompts, and the samples were rated by six native Korean speakers. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed. The results revealed a weak to moderate positive correlation between cultural identity and Korean speaking proficiency. Parental influence (e.g., exposure to Korean media and language use at home) and intrinsic cultural interest (e.g., enjoyment of Korean food) were found to support cultural identity development. Additionally, self-motivated language use outside the home and confidence in using honorifics contributed to higher speaking proficiency.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; Center for Language Studies

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-04-28

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13649

Keywords

Korean, heritage language, cultural identity, speaking proficiency, Korean American

Language

english

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