An essential part of communication in Korean involves a set of rigorously gendered, family-derived kinship terms which are used when referencing or addressing any slightly older peer. These terms –...Show moreAn essential part of communication in Korean involves a set of rigorously gendered, family-derived kinship terms which are used when referencing or addressing any slightly older peer. These terms – oppa (older brother of a woman), hyeong (older brother of a man), eonni (older sister of a woman) and nuna (older sister of a man) – can be “adopted” across gender identities to manipulate the social and communicative relations between speaker and addressee. This thesis posits that they can also be used unconventionally as a way of negotiating and expressing to negotiate and express identity. An online questionnaire surveying attitudes and perceptions of such “cross-adoption” (Kim 1999) is used as a way to gain insights into how successfully identity and gender expression can be negotiated and to what extent this kind of linguistic behaviour is perceived as indexical of LGBT identities. Said questionnaire also offers insights into other views that Korean speakers tend to have about speech scenarios where cross-adoption occurs. One of the main findings is that there is a difference depending on whether the “adopted” kinship term is traditionally used in same-gender communication (hyeong and eonni) or mixed-gender communication (oppa and nuna), and argues that the former is used to negotiate peer-like and platonic relations, while the latter is perceived to be an expression of personal identity.Show less
