코리언의 민족어 현실과 통합의 미래 - 중심과 주변의 위계를 넘어 -

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to compare and work on Koreans’ linguistic life in East Asia on one hand, and attempt though just approximately at a method to integrate Koreans’ languages through the course of the work on the other. For this purpose, the current author investigated the linguistic conditions of Koreans in East Asia on one hand, and carried out the work in the direction in which she explored the orientation of the integration into a national language in Koreans’ linguistic conditions. Also, in addition to the conditions of language use, the current author has examined what meanings they assigned to the national language, and what ideas about the national language are rooted in their conscious and unconscious minds. As a result of the investigation of the linguistic conditions among the South Koreans, the North korean defectors, the Korean Chinese, Korean Russians, and the Korean Japanese, the rates of exclusive use of the national language among Korean Russians and the Korean Japanese were extremely low as 1.8% and 1.9% respectively, with a rate of 70% among the Korean Chinese putting the South and North Koreans aside. However, this is not a problem of national identity, but an issue directly related to their challenging lives in diaspora, in particular to the linguistic policies in the countries where they live. Koreans’ national language is widely interfered lexically, phonologically, and grammatically by languages of the countries where they live. The Korean language of the Korean Chinese is mainly interfered lexically, that of Korean Russians phonologically and lexically, and that of the Korean Japanese grammatically and lexically. If the Korean Peninsula and the countries where they live make active exchanges, it is conjectured that Koreans will make more positive efforts to overcome the problem of linguistic interference. The 2nd~5th Korean generations, the central generations of the Korean diaspora, have taken the route in which they have acquired their national language while recognizing their ethnic identity differently from the 1st generation. With their ethnic realization, they have come to try to learn their national language and communicate with other Koreans in the language. In order to drive the communication in and the integration into the national language among Koreans, first, we should shift from the perspective of ““national language unification”” from which the national language is created into a single language to that of “national language integration” that presupposes diversity and coexistence. Second, we should not force them to follow the South Korean prescriptive rules but should attempt at integration in a way of ‘communicating,’ increasing “mutual understanding,” and learning each other’s language. Third, we should extend the socio-economicbasis for the national language integration through economic and socio-cultural exchanges between South Korea and the countries where Koreans live. Out of those, the most important thing is the extension of the socio-economic basis for the national language integration. The extension of economic and socio-cultural exchanges between South Korea and the countries where Koreans live will extend cultural relativism among Koreans, and increase the national language communication and integration. In this course, the vocabulary of the national language will be enriched, and its grammar will be determined by Koreans’ preference. If we proceed to achieve the national language communication and integration from the perspectives of and in the direction of the national language integration including diversity & coexistence, communication & understanding, and mutual learning & exchanges, i.e. “in a festival of our inherent speeches while throwing out the hierarchy of the center and peripheries,” we will be able to achieve Koreans’ true national language integration.