This study discusses topic and focus constructions in spoken Korean within the framework of information structure. Information structure is a part of grammar that deals with the relation between linguistic forms and the mental states of speakers and hearers. Since the different formal realizations of topic and focus constructions in Korean are due to differences in speakers' assumptions about the mental states of hearers, research on Korean topic and focus constructions falls under the proper domain of information structure. Five different topic constructions in Korean are reviewed and their discourse contexts are analyzed; zero pronouns, bare NPs, and right-dislocated NPs are generally used for discourse-active topic referents, and the maliya-construction and nun-marked NPs are generally used for topic referents that are not discourse-active. Sometimes, active topic referents are also marked with --nun when the topic referents have more salient topics already established in the discourse or speakers are considering potential alternatives to the active topic referents. Topics are divided into ratified and ungratified topics according to whether their status as topics is assumed to be taken for granted by hearers. Among the five topic constructions in Korean, zero pronouns, bare NPs and right-dislocated NPs express ratified topics, while the maliya-construction and nunmarked topics express unratified topics. The marker --ka, which has been long regarded as a subject indicator, is reanalyzed, and it is suggested that --ka marks not only the subject but also argument focus and sentence focus. Accessible or active referents can sometimes be marked with --ka, constituting sentence-focus constructions. In those constructions, the propositional content of the sentences expresses some unexpected or surprising event. Also, frequent occurrences of the maker --ka in presupposed subordinate clauses are examined, and it is suggested that --ka can be used as a mere subject indicator, losing its function of indicating focus in presupposed clauses with topic-comment construals, in which there is no actual focus. / text

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The objective of this study is to approach the lived experiences and the identity development of Korean immigrant students in Canada. The concept of diaspora suggests to look at the new style of identity in a global world. In order to describe Korean students' transnational experience, the study attempts: 1) to determine the influence of immigration on the development of students' identity, 2) to examine the cultural and racial experience in different situations, 3) to discuss how Korean students situate themselves and develop their self-concepts in relationship to others. The study employed a qualitative method and conducted ten individual, semi-structured interviews. In the study, ten Korean immigrant students were asked about their immigration backgrounds, their experiences at school and home, their friendships with Korean friends and non-Korean friends, and their future plans. My analysis attempts to examine the discrepancy between: 1) how Korean students see themselves, 2) how they think they are viewed by others 3) what they aspire to become in the future. Most Korean students identified themselves as "Korean" while others described themselves as "Asian" or did not wish to identify themselves. However, their self-definitions did not always coincide with how others saw them in different situations. At school, students tended to be seen as Asians by the mainstream, and shared the experience of being victims of racism. This shared experience along with the cultural similarity allowed them to have closer relationships with Asians. However, physical, cultural and historical "invisibility" of Koreans among Asians contributed to create a sense of inferiority. At home, students try to reward their parents' sacrifices by being "successful" at school, planning a future career, as well as maintaining Korean traditions at home. Korean students develop new identities in their country of settlement, but at the same time, they are still mentally connected to their country of origin. The source of Korean identity is readily accessible in a multicultural society, and globalisation facilitates a connection for Koreans to their homeland. The concept of diaspora presents a new look at the minority students' special relationship to their countries of settlement and their country of origin. It can give a deeper understanding of the social reality in which minority students live.

This thesis concerns curriculum design for the high school credit program in Korean Language at Sup sogiii Hosu (Lake in the Woods), the Korean Language Village (KLV) at Concordia Language Villages (CLV). It reviews the main features and principles of the draft curriculum for the Korean Language Village 4-week high school credit program, evaluates the design based on the classroom results of the inaugural credit session, discusses the feasibility of a total immersion approach in Korean learning for speakers of English, and suggests further directions for Korean immersion curriculum development using WebCT tools. The entire draft curriculum, covering two years of high school curriculum, is presented as an appendix. Along with a general review of immersion, this study also contains a general review of CLV's educational philosophy and its actual program features, and suggests the critical role that KLV can play in facilitating Korean education in the U.S., where the need for more effective Korean language education is rapidly increased. The thesis also discusses the importance of Korean language education for the Korean adoptees who make up a significant portion of the KLV population, and calls for the reform of existing Korean education programs targeted mainly at 2n d generation Koreans in the U.S.

This thesis examines the social history of the Vancouver Korean community from 1965 to 1997. Within the Canadian context, first generation immigrant Koreans have experienced two key phenomena which have challenged their social status and made for a unique immigrant experience in Canada. First, there has been a negative estimation of Korean cultural merit by the host society. Second, first generation Koreans were highly educated professionals who could not find employment commensurate with their educational and professional backgrounds. Prestige is extremely important for all individuals and groups. In light of the two challenges of cultural devaluation and downward occupational adjustment, the question that this thesis investigates is how Vancouver Koreans have historically reestablished lost prestige within their own community. It is concluded that immigrant generation Koreans have contested for personal status in two ways: by promoting Korean cultural heritage and by pursuing positions of authority within the structure of the Korean community.

Kagok is a genre of highly refined, traditional, Korean, vocal music, which is now endangered and marginalized in contemporary Korean culture. Female kagok signers (kisaeng) have also been ignored in Korean music society. The aim of this study is to preserve and revitalize kagok, in order to conserve its true nature in a contemporary context, and for the future. This thesis is twofold. The first part shows how the aesthetics of the Chosŏn dynasty are fundamental to kagok's history, and female kagok singers' education. Furthermore, existing kagok scores, written in traditional chŏngganbo notation or in Western staff notation, are examined in this part, and they reveal the need for the creation of a new kagok notation. The second part of the thesis concerns the creation and testing of the New Integrative Kagok Notation (NIKN), which combines the essentials of chŏngganbo and Western staff notation, and provides a more effective vehicle for the transmission, transcription and recording of this art form, particularly for inexperienced, contemporary students.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

Even though Western music appeared only about one hundred years ago in Korea, it was rapidly popularized in the country. Since the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea embarked on a path of remarkable economic growth and political stability. The appreciation of Western music, too, grew quickly. Since the 1960s, many talented Korean composers have been recognized around the world. However, scholarly studies discussing their artistry and music are scarce in Western countries. Young Jo Lee, one of the leading composers in Korea today, has a growing reputation. Lee has been invited to many festivals, concerts, and conferences where his works have been staged internationally. A primary compositional feature of his music is the combination of Korean traditional musical gestures with Western compositional elements. The Korean Dance Suite, one of Young Jo Lee’s most important piano works, reveals Lee’s uniqueness as a national Korean composer. The study examines the Korean Dance Suite (“Heaven Dance,” “Children’s Dance,” “Lovers Dance,” “Buddhist Dance,” and “Peasant Dance”) for the features of Young Jo Lee’s innovative and dramatic sound elements. The purpose of this study is to analyze the pieces and to trace Lee’s borrowings from Korean traditional music as well as the ways in which he adapts them to Western musical ideas. This study helps performers create an accurate interpretation when presenting these pieces. In addition, these little-known works will benefit teachers and students in creating an expanded repertoire. / School of Music

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-188) / Microfiche. / xii, 188 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

The problematic areas of the teaching of Korean as a foreign language have been largely neglected in the past. Few studies combine the following three aspects: 1) an examination of learner Korean; 2) the provision of substantial linguistic and pedagogical explanations; and 3) the devising of teaching or learning strategies based on empirical evidence. By studying KFL learners and their language production, insights can be gained relating to the learning of KFL and instructors will be able to provide appropriate corrective measures. This study investigated errors produced by KFL learners, focusing primarily on high frequency orthographic, lexical and grammatical errors in written language production. The study attempts to identify key areas of difficulty in learning Korean, to investigate the possible cause of difficulties and to provide more adequate information for the teaching and learning of KFL. To this end the study uses two classes of textual data and employs both statistical and descriptive analyses. At an orthographic level the study has identified four main error categories: 1) mismatch in three series consonants, 2) mismatch in vowel sounds, 3) misuse of nasals and laterals, and 4) omission and addition of ???h???. Overall the cause of key error types correlates strongly with the differences in sound quality and sound patterns between Korean and English, with some intralingual features. At a lexical level, the study found nine types of errors including 1) semantic similarity, 2) lexical misselection and 3) overgeneralization. The findings suggest that learners have a great deal of difficulty in differentiating lexical items with similar meaning and in selecting words appropriate to particular contexts or situations. As for grammatical errors, the study identified the five most active error categories, which made up more than 80% of the total grammatical errors. An overwhelming majority of grammatical errors and case particle errors in particular were errors of substitution. Many high frequency grammatical errors had distinctive triggering factors such as particular types of verb and sentence construction. The findings of the study have several pedagogical implications. First, there are key common errors for English L1-KFL learners and these common errors need increased linguistic and pedagogical attention. Secondly, the results reinforce the need to pay more active attention to the usage of the main case particles, along with the triggering constructions causing substitutions. Thirdly, the findings suggest that different types of analysis should be done in order to facilitate a plausible description of the problematic KFL items. The study argues that despite being problematic, the items discussed in this thesis are learnable and worthy of being taught with explicit or intentional strategies and that there is a need for pedagogically effective and adequate instructional input to maximize the potential of the learner???s language development in Korean.