An examination of the language socialization practices of three Korean American families through honorifics

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe case studies of three Korean American families examined the directives and honorifics used by families to analyze how family members socialized each other into culturally appropriate ways of directing. Drawing from audio- and visual-recordings of interactions, interviews of parents and children, field notes, and artifacts, this study found that family members used honorifics for multiple purposes. Specifically, findings show that honorifics were used to obtain compliance, model culturally appropriate ways of directing, and to practice culturally appropriate directives. Findings also reveal that family members used honorifics with the intention of supporting language development in the native language. The article concludes with implications for parents of heritage language speakers and teachers of bilingual children.