Code-switching for navigating linguacultural identity and resisting racism: Two Korean American artists
2024 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
While language serves as a tool for unity, it has also been used by nationalists to propagate racist ideologies that privilege dominant over non-dominant language groups. Such ideologies promote a homogeneous and monolingual society, disregarding the cultural richness of minority groups. This study investigates language use, particularly code-switching, within the musical context of two Korean American artists who navigate their linguacultural identities and resist racism in South Korea and the United States through their work. By conducting a qualitative analysis of two hip-hop artists' songs, Yoon Mirae's 'Black Happiness' and Tiger JK's 'Love, Peace,' the study found that both artists employ three types of code-switching: inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and extra- sentential, with Yoon Mirae's code-switching appearing as an unmarked choice and Tiger JK's marked. These code-switching types serve various functions, such as phatic to emphasize their message, poetic to enhance artistic creativity, and expressive to foster a sense of cultural belonging. The study's results indicate the powerful use of code-switching in promoting linguistic diversity, resisting racism, and fostering inclusivity in multicultural societies.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024.
Keywords [en]
Linguistic racism, Code-switching, Racism in Korea, Racism in the US, the Markedness Theory of Code-switching, the Functional Model of Code-switching, Korean American, Pure-blood ideology, Linguistic ideology.
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics Specific Languages
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-230357OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-230357DiVA, id: diva2:1866501
Supervisors
Examiners
2024-06-282024-06-072024-06-28Bibliographically approved