Korean honorifics beyond politeness markers
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Sang-Seok Yoon
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to show that Korean honorifics are not mere politeness markers or linguistic forms that speakers use passively, following social conventions. Rather, they are social indexes that can be used to construct one’s identity or change footing (Goffman 1981) in a given social context. The traditional understanding of honorifics has regarded them as linguistic forms reflecting relative social-positional differences and has assumed that social structure and language use have a one-to-one relationship. However, recent studies on honorifics argue that speakers of languages with an honorific system do not always choose honorifics passively based on social norms but sometimes actively and strategically choose honorific forms to meet the demands of a given context. From the perspective of social constructivism, this study examines conversations in Korean TV shows and demonstrates that Korean speakers often switch speech style from honorific to non-honorific without being rude. The present study argues that Korean speakers on TV constantly change footing and create shifting identities in order to make conversation dynamic and fun.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to show that Korean honorifics are not mere politeness markers or linguistic forms that speakers use passively, following social conventions. Rather, they are social indexes that can be used to construct one’s identity or change footing (Goffman 1981) in a given social context. The traditional understanding of honorifics has regarded them as linguistic forms reflecting relative social-positional differences and has assumed that social structure and language use have a one-to-one relationship. However, recent studies on honorifics argue that speakers of languages with an honorific system do not always choose honorifics passively based on social norms but sometimes actively and strategically choose honorific forms to meet the demands of a given context. From the perspective of social constructivism, this study examines conversations in Korean TV shows and demonstrates that Korean speakers often switch speech style from honorific to non-honorific without being rude. The present study argues that Korean speakers on TV constantly change footing and create shifting identities in order to make conversation dynamic and fun.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Introduction vii
-
Self-reporting Studies
- Introduction to Part I 3
- Social deixis in motion 7
- The M-word 41
- “There’s not a lot of negotiation” 71
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Observational Studies
- Introduction to Part II 93
- Korean honorifics beyond politeness markers 97
- Goading as a social action 121
- Shaming, group face, and identity construction in a Russian virtual community for women 149
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Experimental Studies
- Introduction to Part III 183
- Interactional competence and politeness 187
- Using eye-tracking to examine the reading of texts containing taboo words 213
- Impoliteness electrified 239
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Epilogue
- Epilogue 267
- Index 277
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Introduction vii
-
Self-reporting Studies
- Introduction to Part I 3
- Social deixis in motion 7
- The M-word 41
- “There’s not a lot of negotiation” 71
-
Observational Studies
- Introduction to Part II 93
- Korean honorifics beyond politeness markers 97
- Goading as a social action 121
- Shaming, group face, and identity construction in a Russian virtual community for women 149
-
Experimental Studies
- Introduction to Part III 183
- Interactional competence and politeness 187
- Using eye-tracking to examine the reading of texts containing taboo words 213
- Impoliteness electrified 239
-
Epilogue
- Epilogue 267
- Index 277
