• Hi-Sun Kim, PhD (Harvard University)

In a diasporic immigration context, heritage language (HL) socialization is a process that takes place primarily at home but is uneven and varies through time due to the complexity of the speakers’ integration in mainstream society. Consequently, the learner demographic of Korean HL continuously evolves under different social conditions, which means that identifying Korean HL subgroups by their linguistic attributes and background is a crucial step for providing a more accurate representation of each subgroup’s development for research and curricular design purposes. Through the analysis of a questionnaire survey of college learners, this presentation explores the process of Korean HL socialization along temporal and spatial dimensions to shed light on the complex journey of ongoing linguistic identity construction from childhood to young adulthood. Based on previous studies of language socialization in L1, HL, and L2 classrooms, the aim of this paper with regard to Korean heritage speakers is twofold: (i) to explore their heritage language socialization from the elementary to high school years and (ii) to examine what transformations and further heritage language socialization processes occur in college through formal instruction with a peer community in a Korean language class specifically designed for HL learners. The results of looking at different stages (e.g., childhood to young adulthood) indicate the specific immigrant social contexts and interactions that contribute to the early development of heritage language and identity construction. Furthermore, formal language socialization via the classroom can play the vital role of normalizing the usage of Korean within a peer group, empowering them to expand their existing HL community beyond their home. To conclude, the presentation discusses some issues surrounding HL learners’ acquisition of Korean in relation to their evolving sense of linguistic proficiency, cultural identity, peer community, and how instruction can shape new perspectives on their place as young adults in the mainstream society.