In this paper, I examined the process of forming the language culture of adolescents in Korea, focusing on the use of swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords. By analyzing the language culture of adolescents from an insider's perspe...
In this paper, I examined the process of forming the language culture of adolescents in Korea, focusing on the use of swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords. By analyzing the language culture of adolescents from an insider's perspective, rather than from the perspective of the older generation, we wanted to understand in depth the experiences and meanings of adolescents related to the use of swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords. In addition, the social and structural contexts were also analyzed to comprehensively identify the phenomena related to the language culture of adolescents.
In this study, we derived 86 concepts, 45 subcategories, and 18 top categories through open coding. Based on these results, axial coding was carried out to assume the central phenomenon of this study as 'the everyday use of swearing'. The 'causal conditions' of the central phenomenon was the 'awareness of swearing', and the 'contextual conditions' which directly affects the phenomenon was 'positive value of the swearing', 'awareness of the self', 'another eyes on me', 'a perception of moral standards', 'means of friendship'. The 'intervening conditions' that mediates or alters the central phenomenon was 'feeling of using swearing', 'the position within the group', 'changes of attitude according to authority', 'perception in the difference of swearing by gender', and 'a comparison with a friend'. 'Actions/interactions' strategies for the central phenomenon were 'an act of amusement', 'the pursuit of practicality' and 'expressing the feelings', 'strengthening effect of the group', and 'communicating effectively'. And the result of this strategy was the formation of adolescents' language culture.
Based on results derived from open coding and axial coding, the selective coding was implemented and the core category of adolescents' language culture was assumed as 'the formation of adolescents' language culture through the recreational and friendly use of swearing'. In this regard, I presented the story line and a theoretical model for the formation of adolescents' language culture . Adolescents in adolescence led to changes in the positive perception of swearing, vulgar worlds, adolescents' slangs and buzzwords due to the influence of friends and Internet, in particular Internet broadcasting BJ, which soon led to the everyday use of swearwords. Adolescents communicated with their friends through swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, buzzwords, and experienced intimacy, solidarity, and belonging. They often try to control the use of swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords because of internal and external conflict, but the use of swearing with friends they meet in their daily lives has led to the return of adolescents to situations where they have no choice but to use them, further creating a language culture that separates older generations from younger ones.
Based on these findings, the following discussions were presented. First, Internet broadcasting BJ strongly influenced the use of swearing by adolescents, which resulted from the structural characteristics of Korean society related to adolescents culture. Second, adolescents wanted to separate themselves from older generations by recognizing themselves as mature beings. Third, unlike concerns of older generations, adolescents used the buzzword 'because it was fun'. Fourth, unlike older generations, adolescents were positively aware of the swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords itself. Fifth, adolescents were using the swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords separately from the original meaning of the word. Sixth, contrary to the prejudice of older generations, adolescents did not speak the swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords to anyone. Seventh, there was a difference in the swearing, vulgar words, adolescents' slangs, and buzzwords used by boys and girls.