Re-examining the Concept of World Englishes in the Context of Korean Universities

Abstract

In an era of globalization, people think, communicate, and work together across countries, and this situation has led to changing concepts of life. In this context, the idea that certain forms of English are “superior” and others are “inferior” is invalid. Nevertheless, the idea retains some power, and continues to show up in the attitudes and prejudices of people with diverse relationships to the English language. This paper investigates the attitudes of college students in Korea toward World Englishes (WE). The purpose of the study was to investigate: (1) Korean university students’ perception of and attitudes toward WE; (2) their levels of tolerance toward WE; and (3) whether and how attitudes and tolerances are correlated. The findings indicated that Korean students subscribe to an ideal of English diversity, but in practice are judgmental about “accuracy” and “norms.” This study shows that Korean students have a positive attitude, but that a further shift is necessary in order to help them acquire a realistic concept of WE and the pluralistic nature of English. It is therefore recommended that the English education system in Korea be reformed in order to serve the demands of globalization.