"Heritage Language Development and Placement of College-Level Korean Learners"
Sung-Ock Sohn, Professor, Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA
| DATE: | Friday, April 25, 2008 |
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| TIME: | 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM |
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| PLACE: | IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor |
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| FORMAT: | Colloquium |
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| SPONSORS: | Center for Korean Studies |
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Like all immigrant groups, Korea-born and second generation Korean-Americans lose competency in their heritage language through successive generations. The attrition of Korean language skills in children is often exacerbated by parental preferences and schooling practices. For example, in Los Angeles, Korean-speaking parents often prefer to enroll their children in all-English programs. This study describes the documented success of a program that helps children maintain and develop knowledge of their heritage language while acquiring high levels of English and academic skills. Furthermore, this study discusses the socio-linguistic profiles of English-speaking Korean heritage learners who enroll in a college-level Korean class. Using empirical research based on the heritage learners’ linguistic profiles, it examines the importance of a placement decision and pedagogical approaches.
