Indescribable: The Construction and Enregisterment of Korean American Ethnolinguistic Identity

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines how young Korean Americans conceive of the relationship between their ethnic identity and linguistic behavior, focusing on metalinguistic commentary given on the topic of Korean American English (KAE). I argue that the ongoing enregisterment of a unique KAE variety is characterized by the fact that Korean Americans disagree on both what this variety sounds like and where the variety is spoken or where it comes from. Yet, a majority still contend that KAE exists. I connect this paradox to the historical struggle that Korean Americans have over language ownership and hybrid cultural identity.