earticle

영어

This study investigates the sociolinguistic characteristics and functions of Katakana Chosengo?Korean-origin terms rendered in Japanese katakana and embedded in Japanese-language texts?within the Chongryon-affiliated Zainichi Korean community. Drawing on articles published in the Choson Sinbo between 2014 and 2024, eight frequently occurring terms were selected for detailed qualitative analysis: Hakkyo(school), Hassen (student), Saopu(project), Irukun(worker), Tonne(neighborhood), Moimu(gathering), Orini(child), and Orushin(elder). The analysis shows that these terms diverge from their usage in standard South or North Korean, undergoing semantic narrowing, extension, or reinterpretation specific to the Chongryon-affiliated context. They function as symbolic linguistic resources, chosen over Japanese equivalents to signal shared heritage, index community membership, and reinforce collective identity. The use of katakana also serves as a visual marker that delineates boundaries between Japanese and Korean lexicons, contributing to a distinctive written style within the community. By situating these findings within existing frameworks?such as synecdoche, in-group jargon, code-switching, loanwords, and semantic shift?this study argues that Katakana Chosengo constitutes a distinct form of diasporic language use that cannot be fully explained by any single framework. The research contributes to understanding how linguistic forms in minority communities are maintained, innovated, and socially embedded, highlighting the interplay between orthography, meaning, and identity in a diasporic setting.