“할미 마음이 아파요”: Korean Honorific Speech Level Markers as Contextualization Cues in Family Instant Messages

Abstract

Bringing together Goffman’s (1981) concept of footing, Gumperz’s (1982) notion of contextualization cues, and Tannen’s (1994, 2007) ambiguity and polysemy of power and solidarity, I carry out a qualitative discourse analysis study that investigates how the management of power and solidarity and the construction of family-related identities are signaled through the honorific speech level markers in family instant messages. For this study, I examine naturally occurring instant messages of three Korean families(-in-law) via KakaoTalk, a free instant messaging application. The message exchanges include different types of family members interacting with each other, such as between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, between a married couple of the same age, and between grandmothers and (virtually present) grandchildren. Family members use the deferential and polite speech level markers as (1) an egalitarian marker; (2) a face-saving marker; (3) a footing marker; and (4) an affective marker. Illuminating language use in contemporary family discourse via instant messages, the chapter demonstrates how the use of the honorific speech level markers neither always adheres to politeness nor is necessarily regulated by traditional social factors such as age, roles, and status. I therefore demonstrate how the speech level markers actually work in everyday family instant messages.