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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 22, No. 0, pp.1313-1326
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2022
Received 30 Oct 2022 Revised 18 Nov 2022 Accepted 30 Nov 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.22..202211.1313

Changing Attitudes toward Global Englishes, ELT, and the NEST-NNEST Dichotomy in Korea

Jiyong Lee ; SiHoo Lee ; Ghang Hyun Park ; Seohyun Yoon
Professor, Dept. of English, Korea Military Academy, Tel: 02) 2197-2637 jiyonglee0123@gmail.com
Student, Seoul National University
Journalist, ChosunIlbo
Student, Seoul National University


© 2022 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Approximately ten years after the ‘English fever’ spread throughout South Korea from the 1990s to the early 2000s, the severe obsession over “standard” English has appeared to diminish to some degree, coinciding with learners’ greater awareness of Global Englishes. To determine whether any changes in their attitudes toward English could be observed, 110 Koreans completed a survey asking questions about their perceptions of Global Englishes, ELT, and the NEST-NNEST dichotomy. Results showed that most considered English to be a global language that does not belong to a particular country. Moreover, many preferred to learn English from a NEST, mainly to enhance English fluency. While nationality was found to play an important role in the choice of the NEST, race was not found to be a determining factor. Such findings point toward a gradual shift in perceptions of English learning and education in Korea.

Keywords:

Global Englishes, ELT, NEST, NNEST, Korea

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Hwarang-dae Research Institute.

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