This qualitative study examines the language attitudes and language use of two North Korean refugees living in the Gyeongsang provincial region of South Korea and actively trying to assimilate into mainstream Korean society. In interviews, the participants expressed a hierarchical view of three varieties of Korean (their North Korean Hamgyong dialect, the South Korean Gyeongsang dialect, and standard South Korean). They discussed how their North Korean accents exacerbated their marginalization, described the Gyeongsang dialect as “ignorant” and “rude,” and explained how and why they were trying to acquire standard South Korean. They also described how their North Korean accent continued to affect their communication with local South Korean speakers, who often perceived them as sounding angry and commanding. The participants had developed diverse communicative strategies in response to these language-related challenges, including smiling so as to not appear aggressive, remaining silent to avoid being outed by their speech, speaking carefully to appear more South Korean and avoid potential misunderstandings, and proactively revealing their North Korean background and seeking their interlocutors’ understanding in advance. Based on the findings, the study offers practical implications for language-support programs designed for North Korean refugees.

中文翻译：

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“我不生气！”：韩国农村地区朝鲜难民的语言意识形态、误解和边缘化

这项定性研究调查了两名生活在韩国庆尚道地区并积极尝试融入韩国主流社会的朝鲜难民的语言态度和语言使用。在采访中，参与者表达了对三种韩国语（朝鲜咸镜方言、韩国庆尚方言和标准韩国语）的等级看法。他们讨论了朝鲜口音如何加剧了他们的边缘化，将庆尚方言描述为“无知”和“粗鲁”，并解释了他们如何以及为何试图学习标准的韩国语。他们还描述了他们的朝鲜口音如何继续影响他们与当地说韩语的人的沟通，这些人常常认为他们听起来很愤怒，而且命令性十足。为了应对这些与语言相关的挑战，参与者制定了多种沟通策略，包括微笑以免显得咄咄逼人、保持沉默以避免被他们的演讲暴露、小心说话以显得更像韩国人并避免潜在的误解以及主动透露信息。他们的朝鲜背景并事先寻求对话者的理解。根据研究结果，该研究为为朝鲜难民设计的语言支持项目提供了实际意义。并主动透露自己的朝鲜背景并提前寻求对话者的理解。根据研究结果，该研究为为朝鲜难民设计的语言支持项目提供了实际意义。并主动透露自己的朝鲜背景并提前寻求对话者的理解。根据研究结果，该研究为为朝鲜难民设计的语言支持项目提供了实际意义。