Qualitative Research on Language Practices and Attitudes of Korean Immigrant Youth in Canada: Focusing on the Comparison between Montreal and Toronto Areas

Qualitative Research on Language Practices and Attitudes of Korean Immigrant Youth in Canada: Focusing on the Comparison between Montreal and Toronto Areas

(Purpose) The objective of this study is to compare Korean immigrant youth’s multilingual practices in two major cities of the Eastern part of Canada, namely, the city of Montreal and the city of Toronto in what it concerns the possible Korean immigrant youth’s attitudes and behaviors related to the maintenance of the Korean language and culture as their heritage language along with the use of English and French as the two official languages in Canada. In particular, this study aims to compare Korean immigrant youth’s attitudes and language practices in a context of two major societal languages in Montreal and one major societal language in Toronto. (Design/methodology/approach) Data were collected for over a month. The participants were 23 Korean immigrant youth of Korean communities in both cities composed of 15 participants from Montreal and 8 participants from Toronto between the ages of 15 and 28 who were either born in Canada or immigrated. They were asked to complete a questionnaire and to answer to the interview questions. (Findings) The findings of the study confirm that the Korean immigrant youth in both cities recognize the importance of the maintenance of the Korean language within the multilingual context of Canada. (Research implications or Originality) This research provides social and linguistic similarities and differences between the two major cities in Canada in terms of Korean immigrant youth’s attitudes toward the maintenance of the Korean language and culture and their English and French language practices as two official languages in Canada and Korean language practices in the multilingual Canadian society.