Abstracts Language, Literature, and Linguistic

Language Ideologies in Deep South Korea: Voices of Jeollanamdo English Teachers

by Ian Schneider

Language ideologies serve as shared beliefs and key frames that link language and society, mediating both macro-level social forces and micro-level interactions. Through this lens, this thesis compares the ideological perspectives and experiences of expatriate and local English teachers working in secondary-level schools in the rural province of Jeollanamdo, South Korea. Through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, this study argues for complexity and nuance in how language teachers from distinct backgrounds perceive and negotiate dominant English language ideologies in Korean society. Moreover, these ideological perspectives differ between teachers of local and expatriate backgrounds, or teachers working in urban and rural areas. This study aims to challenge notions of metronormativity and unified ideological marketplaces by sharing the voices of English teachers in an understudied province of Korea. Furthermore, this thesis provides a comparison between macro-level theories of language ideology and linguistic political economy and the micro-level experiences and perspectives of individual educators.