Within the realm of the dominant language, a minor language is always under constant threat of marginalization and extinction. For survival, the minor language creates its own space and inscribes in it a new linguistic and cultural topography. Every l...
Within the realm of the dominant language, a minor language is always under constant threat of marginalization and extinction. For survival, the minor language creates its own space and inscribes in it a new linguistic and cultural topography. Every language attempts to create its own cultural topography. However, most of their efforts fail in facing with the pre-established social, economic, political or cultural environments. The relationship between minor and dominant languages can be characterized as following ways: extinction, assimilation (absorption), and coexistence. On this account, this paper argues that Eonmun in the song books of the late Joseon period takes following strategies: 1) acknowledging that Sino-Korean classics including Sino-Korean poetry has a long tradition, 2) emphasizing both Shijing and Sijo reflect the true mind of humans through their common musicality, 3) claiming both Chinese character and Eonmun can represent the true mind of humans despite their linguistic differences, 4) finding the unique area of Eonmun in its relationship with Chinese character. In this process, the idea that the Shi is identical with the song or ode first emerged. And it was a pivotal moment for Eonmun, which became a new language power at the dawn of the modern era.