Article In:
Korean Linguistics
Vol. 20:2 (2024) ► pp.127–169

L2 Korean learners’ pragmalinguistic features

Focusing on making requests in power-asymmetrical situations

| Pennsylvania State University,
ORCID logo | University of Iowa,
This study investigates the pragmalinguistic features of Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL) learners’ request speech acts in power-asymmetrical situations, focusing on interactions with social superiors. Through a discourse completion test (DCT), 31 KFL students and 12 Korean native speakers (KNS) were analyzed using a coding system which is developed based on the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) (Blum-Kulka et al. 1989). Despite acquiring basic linguistic elements, KFL learners struggle to apply them effectively, particularly in nuanced social contexts. The findings underscore the necessity of explicit instruction on the pragmalinguistic functions of grammatical forms to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world language use. This study contributes valuable insights into the intercultural pragmatics of KFL learners, addressing gaps in the literature regarding the detailed analysis of learners’ language use in request speech acts, especially in situations involving social superiors. The pedagogical implications emphasize the need for enhanced instruction in KFL pragmatics to cultivate learners’ pragmatic awareness.
Keywords: Korean as a Foreign Language, Communicative Competence, L2 pragmatics, interlanguage pragmatics, request speech act, pragmalinguistic features, Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP)
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Data collection
    • 3.3Methods
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Alerter
    • 4.2Head act strategies and linguistic forms used
      • -e/a cwuseyyo ‘please do something for me’
      • -ko siphta ‘want to’
      • Absence of head act (Hint)
      • pwuthak tulipnita ‘I am asking you a favor/I am looking forward to your cooperation.’
      • A query preparatory modal -(u)l swu issta ‘can’
      • -(u)l swu issta ‘can’ for seeking permission
      • ‘-eto/ato toyta’ for requesting permission
      • -keyss-...? ‘will...?’
    • 4.3Internal modifications
      • hoksi ‘by any chance, maybe’
      • kanunghata ‘to be possible’ and kwaynchanhta ‘to be okay’
      • com ‘a little’
    • 4.4Supportive moves
    • 4.5Honorifics and humble expressions
      • Sentence endings
      • Subject honorific suffix -(u)si-
      • Humble expressions
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Implications for teaching
  • 7.Limitations and suggestions for future study
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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