An Autoethnography on Korean Language Learning and Identity Formation of Chinese Korean Learners

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of a Chinese learner majoring in Korean Studies, employing an aqutoethnography method. According to Bakhtin's concept of dialogism, language learning is a process of 'identity work' and 'ideological becoming' that takes place at the boundary with 'others'. Grounded in this theoretical framework, this study retrospectively examined and reconstructed the process of learning Korean, re-evaluating individual experiences within a dialogical context. The findings revealed that learning Korean in the distinctive spaces of China and Korea transcended mere linguistic acquisition and manifested as a complex identity experience. Essentially, the experience of learning Korean is a relational process that cannot occur without interaction with others, and the identity reconstruction encountered during this process is dynamic and perpetually unfinished. Such experiences positioned the learner in opposition to the prevailing 'authoritative discourses' of the dominant society and led to the formation of an 'internally persuasive discourse', culminating in a holistic 'ideological becoming'. This underscores the inherently social nature of language learning as identity work and calls for a profound reconsideration of perceptions of language learners and approaches to language education.