The Adoption of Korean Slang by Indonesian Students Learning the Korean Language: A Social Identity Approach

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_23How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Korean slang; Social identity; Indonesian students; Korean language

Abstract

The pervasive global influence of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) has significantly boosted the popularity of the Korean language, leading to a growing number of Indonesian students engaging in Korean language learning. Beyond formal grammatical structures, the informal register, particularly Korean slang, has become an integral part of contemporary Korean communication. This study investigates the adoption of Korean slang by Indonesian students learning the Korean language, specifically through the lens of a social identity approach. Drawing on Social Identity Theory, this research explores how learners’ identification with various social groups—such as fellow Indonesian Korean language learners, K-pop/K-drama fan communities, and an imagined Korean native speaker community—influences their exposure to, comprehension of, and active use of Korean slang. A mixed-methods approach, combining survey questionnaires administered to Indonesian university students learning Korean and in-depth interviews, was employed to gather data on slang usage patterns, motivations, perceived social benefits, and challenges. Preliminary findings suggest a notable correlation between a strong social identity within Korean-related communities and a higher propensity for slang adoption. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of sociolinguistic dynamics in second language acquisition, highlighting the role of social affiliation in informal language learning and offering insights for Korean language pedagogy in an era shaped by cultural globalization.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Ummul Hasanah
AU  - Theresia Avilla Rencidiptya Gitananti Firstantin
AU  - Jesi Jamaika Pratiwi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/28
TI  - The Adoption of Korean Slang by Indonesian Students Learning the Korean Language: A Social Identity Approach
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Research on Language 2025 (IROLE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 295
EP  - 320
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_23
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_23
ID  - Hasanah2026
ER  -