Englishized Korean: structure, status, and attitudes

ABSTRACT: English as a world language in Korea has played an important role in changing the Korean language. Among the most noticeable changes are that the Koreal lexis is undergoing a shift from the previous dependence on Chinese‐character words to English loanwords; Korean phonology has acquired new phonemes and phonological rules associated with the pronunciation of English loanwords; and extensive English code‐mixing and switching can be found in both formal and informal discourse in Korean. These changes are reflections of the increased importance and utility of English in Korea, favorable attitudes of Koreans toward the use of English, and above all, an increase in the number of Korean‐English bilinguals in Korea. In addition to the fact that English has gained power in Korea, a factor that contributes to increased use of English is the relative decrease in the use of Chinese‐character words that were once the symbol of education and sophistication. Moreover, linguists, educators and the mass media all seem to work together to propagate the use of English in everyday speech.