A Linguistic Image of Womanhood in South Korea

A Linguistic Image of Womanhood in South Korea examines the verbal and non-verbal techniques used by contemporary South Korean women to navigate their society. South Korea is extremely hierarchical, and this is expressed through a complex array of different politeness levels in words, gestures, and behaviours. These hierarchies were formed over 500 years ago with the introduction of Neo-Confucianism from China, but patriarchal and paternalistic values still linger in contemporary Korean society. In this book, the authors have coined the term ‘language cosmetics’ to describe how women in South Korea modify their language and behaviour to conform to social expectations. The book examines womanhood and femininity as seen in popular Korean films, K-dramas, and K-pop. The authors note that feminine language and behaviour are not limited to women (as seen by the practice of aegyo or ‘acting cute’ within Korean boy bands), and they describe the tensions between gender hierarchy and socioeconomic status (as seen in the powerful and elegant samonim ladies of K-drama). This book will be informative for those studying and researching in the fields of Asian studies, cultural studies, linguistics, and East Asian languages, particularly those analysing how society and gender have an impact upon language. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgments Preliminaries Preface 1 Introduction 1.1 Manifesting ‘Asian-ness’: Age, Order, and Desire for Unanimity 1.2 Studies of Women’s Languaging Habits 1.3 The Case of Japan 1.4 Language Cosmetics 2 Womanhood in a Neo-Confucian Society – Past and Present 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Transition From Goryeo 2.3 The Making of Womanhood in Joseon Women’s Place Oryun (五倫) ‘Five Relations’ Women’s Virtues Admonishment for Women Women’s Misconduct Women’s Education Women’s Sorrow Han (恨): The Untranslatable Grief 2.4 Between the Joseon Dynasty and Contemporary Korean Society 2.5 Neo-Confucianism in Contemporary Korea Father-Son Relationship (bujayuchin 父子有親) Ruler-Vassal Relationship (gunsinyuui 君臣有義) Husband-Wife Relationship (bubuyubyeol 夫婦有別) The Sibling Relationship (hyeongjeuae 兄弟友愛) The Relationship Between Old and Young (jangyuyuseo 長幼有序) 2.6 Marriage Migration 2.7 North Korea 2.8 Summary 3 The Linguistic Landscape of Korea 3.1 A Fine Line Between Nature and Nurture Studies of East Asia The Need to Avoid Generalisation 3.2 The Influence of the Linguistic Landscape Feminisation of Professional Titles Meanings of Yeosa (女史) Problematic Family Address Terms Terms of ‘Endearment’ Moving Towards a Gender-Neutral Language 3.3 Case Study: Invisible and Unheard in 100 Minute Debate 3.4 Summary 4 Language Cosmetics 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Language Cosmetics: More Than Verbal Hygiene 4.3 Aegyo as a Linguistic Cosmetic 4.4 ‘Generation MZ’ Women The Fist Pump Closed Eyes Hand Over Heart 4.5 Online Language Cosmetics 4.6 Summary 5 Language Cosmetics in Non-Verbal Behaviour 5.1 Neo-Confucian Non-Verbal Indicators of Politeness 5.2 Gender and Gesture 5.3 Neo-Confucian Non-Verbal Indicators of Politeness as a Measure of Femininity 5.4 The Samonim (사모님) Dynamic 5.5 Summary 6 Conclusion 6.1 The Female Voice in the Future References Index "A Linguistic Image of Womanhood in South Korea examines the verbal and non-verbal techniques used by contemporary South Korean women to navigate their society. South Korea is extremely hierarchical, and this is expressed through a complex array of different politeness levels in words, gestures and behaviours. These hierarchies were formed over 500 years ago with the introduction of Neo-Confucianism from China, but patriarchal and paternalistic values still linger in contemporary Korean society. In this book, the authors have coined the term 'language cosmetics' to describe how women in South Korea modify their language and behaviour to conform to social expectations. The book examines womanhood and femininity as seen in popular Korean films, K-dramas and K-pop. The authors note that feminine language and behaviour is not limited to women (as seen by the practice of aegyo or 'acting cute' within Korean boy bands) and they describe the tensions between gender hierarchy and socioeconomic status, as seen in the powerful and elegant samonim ladies of K-drama. This book will be informative for those studying and researching in the fields of Asian studies, cultural studies, linguistics, and East Asian languages, particularly those analysing how society and gender has an impact upon language"-- Provided by publisher