TY - JOUR
T1 - "Church is like a mini Korea"
T2 - the potential of migrant religious organisations for promoting heritage language maintenance
AU - Joo, Sun Jung
AU - Chik, Alice
AU - Djonov, Emilia
N1 - Copyright de Gruyter 2023. Article originally published in Applied Linguistics Review, vol. 15, no. 4, 2024, pp. 1717-1745. The original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2022-0052. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.
DOI format in statement should be: http://dx.doi.org/[DOI]
PY - 2024/7/26
Y1 - 2024/7/26
N2 - Immigration from diverse countries of origin has brought to Australia a great linguistic diversity. Moving to Australia, many migrant communities tend to shift from their heritage languages (HLs) and shift to English. Korean migrant communities, however, buck this trend. Notable within the Korean communities are ethnic church congregations, which offer social networks to maintain Korean identity. Focusing on the Korean communities in Australia, this study extends the limited knowledge about the potential of migrant religious organisations to promote HL maintenance. Specifically, drawing on data from 300 surveys collected from parents and semi-structured interviews with eight parents and their children, this study compares experiences of HL maintenance among families who attend a Korean church with those who do not. A key finding is that families affiliated with a Korean church are more likely to prioritise HL learning, practise the language and be proficient in the language than those who are not. Additionally, participants in this study reported that Korean churches provide valuable opportunities for HL learning. This study contributes to an understanding of the intertwined dynamics of migration, religion and language.
AB - Immigration from diverse countries of origin has brought to Australia a great linguistic diversity. Moving to Australia, many migrant communities tend to shift from their heritage languages (HLs) and shift to English. Korean migrant communities, however, buck this trend. Notable within the Korean communities are ethnic church congregations, which offer social networks to maintain Korean identity. Focusing on the Korean communities in Australia, this study extends the limited knowledge about the potential of migrant religious organisations to promote HL maintenance. Specifically, drawing on data from 300 surveys collected from parents and semi-structured interviews with eight parents and their children, this study compares experiences of HL maintenance among families who attend a Korean church with those who do not. A key finding is that families affiliated with a Korean church are more likely to prioritise HL learning, practise the language and be proficient in the language than those who are not. Additionally, participants in this study reported that Korean churches provide valuable opportunities for HL learning. This study contributes to an understanding of the intertwined dynamics of migration, religion and language.
KW - heritage language
KW - Korean as heritage language
KW - Korean migrants in Australia
KW - language maintenance
KW - migrant religious organisation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146242257&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1515/applirev-2022-0052
DO - 10.1515/applirev-2022-0052
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85146242257
SN - 1868-6303
VL - 15
SP - 1717
EP - 1745
JO - Applied Linguistics Review
JF - Applied Linguistics Review
IS - 4
ER -