Journal of East Asian Cultures

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2021): Community Building: Family and Nation, Tradition and Innovation
Articles

Teaching Culture through Language: Teaching Korean Kinship Terms in Korean in Foreign Language Classrooms

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  • Krisztina Nguyen
Krisztina Nguyen
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2021.1.17

Published 2021-12-15

Keywords

  • Korean language teaching,
  • Korean language learning,
  • Korean kinship terms,
  • teaching kinship terms,
  • Korean as a foreign language,
  • Korean culture education
    • ...More
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How to Cite

Nguyen, K. (2021). Teaching Culture through Language: Teaching Korean Kinship Terms in Korean in Foreign Language Classrooms. Journal of East Asian Cultures, 13(1), 271–292. https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2021.1.17

Copyright (c) 2021 the author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

One socio-cultural aspect of the Korean language that foreign learners may encounter early is the extensive use of kinship terms in communicative situations. Korean kinship terms are carriers of important cultural information, thus misunderstandings or even breakdowns in communication are likely to happen if one lacks exposure to the cultural conceptualizations of these terms. Following the paradigm shift towards emphasizing intercultural communicative competence development in foreign language classrooms, the present study explores why teaching kinship terms in a Korean language classroom is important. The study presents an overview of the kinship terminological system and its relation to the cultural concepts and value system of Koreans, examines the current teaching situation of kinship terms primarily through language textbooks, and considers specific aspects that may affect the teaching of these terms. The study finds that insufficient attention is given to kinship terms, even though they are one of the most frequently used terms of address and reference. It is proposed that greater emphasis should be given to teaching kinship terms; furthermore, it is suggested that teachers should actively guide students to acquire the essential cultural knowledge about kinship terms.

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