Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume VI, Part 2
- General Preface
- Abbreviations
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Introduction to Volume VI
- Part I Asia
- Part II Australasia
- PART III The Pacific
- Index
- References
6 - English in Korea
from I.II East Asia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 April 2026
General editor
Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume VI, Part 2
- General Preface
- Abbreviations
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Introduction to Volume VI
- Part I Asia
- Part II Australasia
- PART III The Pacific
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter traces the historical development of English in South Korea, which despite its long isolation and late contact with the language has turned into a fervent adopter of English as linguistic, symbolic, and economic capital. Particular focus lies on the history of English in the South Korean education system and the outcomes of the contact between Korean and English (i.e., Englishized Korean and Korean(ized) English). The United States Army Military Government in Korea (1945–1948) set the foundation for the compelling status of English in South Korea and the current chapter presents a case study of the language ideologies represented in three Korean English textbooks published during this period. While rudimentary notions of the ideologies of necessitation and externalization can already be found in the examined textbooks from the 1940s, all of the material was firmly grounded in the Korean context and clearly reflected the pro-American sentiments of the era.
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- The New Cambridge History of the English LanguageAfrica, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, pp. 175 - 201Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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