This paper analyzes the research progress of language attitudes in the field of sociolinguistics and proposes future research projects. First, the research progress of language attitudes can be categorized into four groups; attitudes to the language itself, attitudes to language variation, attitudes to language use, and attitudes to language identity. Research about attitudes to the language itself is peculiar in that big scale surveys were conducted by the government for linguistic policies. Quantitative survey method is preferable when providing the results in figures. However, it is unsuitable when analyzing the results in depth. Therefore, qualitative research entailed with various research methods is necessary. Research on attitudes toward language variation should be promoted considering the fast speed of linguistic change of the Korean language. So far most studies were about umlaut, euphony, grammatical change in stem and ending. Nevertheless, further studies should expand the research horizon to different linguistic units such as intonation, discourse markers, etc. Research on attitudes toward language use shows the possibility of extending the scope of the field of sociolinguistics. Especially study on anthroponym, commercials, brand names, copies, political slogans should not only be done on language attitudes but also on sociolinguistic respects. Lastly, research on language attitudes of minority groups focused on Korean migrants to Japan(Korean residents in Japan), former Soviet Union(Russian Koreans), and China(Korean-Chinese). However, at present Korea is a multicultural society which implicates that future studies should pay more attention on minority groups of different mother tongues for example immigrant workers, international students, temporary visitors, overseas Chinese, and foreigners who acquired Korean nationality, as well as North Korean defectors and migrant wives.

Ahn, Ye-rim & Yang, Myung-hee. 2018. “Study on the Expanded Use of the Personal Honorific ‘bun(분)’” The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 26(1), 229~250. The aim of this study is to identify the new usages and functions of the personal honorific ‘bun’ in internet communication languages (ICL). To do this, we retrieved all the comments containing the word ‘bun’ that were posted on Twitter throughout the year 2017. The findings of this study are as follows. First, in ICL, ‘bun’ is used not only to represent its original meaning and function; it is also combined with a new form of address that does not carry any personal or honorific connotations. Second, Twitter users use ‘bun’ to refer to any person they are addressing, regardless of social status. Third, ‘bun’ is used in connection with the “fun-seeking”function of ICL. Finally, it is evident that the use of ‘bun’ in ICL has begun to influence everyday language. Wide-ranging studies on changing everyday use of ‘bun’ are needed.

Yang, Myung-hee & Kim, Bo-hyeon. 2017. “A Study on Korean Language Anxiety in the Classrooms of Advanced-level Korean Language Learners for Academic purposes: With Chinese Students in Graduate School in Korea”. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 25(1). 119~141. The aim of this study is to examine the level of and the factors for Korean language anxiety in the classrooms of advanced-level Korean language learners for academic purposes. To this end, 60 Chinese students attending graduate school participated in the survey with the questionnaires: i.e., PRCA and FLCAS. The results suggest as follows. First, the Korean language anxiety level in the classrooms of the Chinese students is likely to be high. Also, it is not because of the participants’ traits, but because of the classroom environment. Second, there are 5 factors for Korean language anxiety in the classrooms; communication anxiety with native speakers, communication anxiety, fears of negative evaluation and failing in class, Korean proficiency anxiety, and negative attitudes toward class. Especially, the forth factor suggests that Korean learners needs an educational intervention of Korean, even after they enter undergraduate or graduate institutions. Third, there is a negative correlation between Korean language anxiety in the classroom and a residence period in Korea. That is, it is necessary to give them as many opportunities as possible for being exposed to Korean by a Korean educational intervention.

Yang, Myunghee, Yoo, Yang & Moon, Grace Ge-Soon. 2014. A Study of the Complaint Speech Act by Chinese Office Workers in Korea: With Focus on High-Level Strategies. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 22(3). The present study examines the use of the speech act of complaint in Korean by Chinese office workers in Korea, with particular focus on their use of high-level strategies. By looking at the differences in speech act between Korean-speaking Chinese office workers and native Korean office workers from a cross-cultural pragmatics perspective, the study aims to shed light on intercultural differences and explore their implications for Korean language education. High-level strategies in the speech act of complaint are broadly classified into direct, indirect, mixed, and silent strategies. By means of a discourse completion test (DCT), 50 Chinese office workers and 50 Korean office workers were surveyed with respect to their use of the complaint speech act. The results indicated that Chinese office workers tend to use more indirect strategies than their Korean counterparts and that Korean office workers use the silent strategy more often than Chinese workers. Significant results were also obtained by comparing the use of high-level strategies by the two subject groups according to variables such as social status, familiarity, age, gender, and employment period.

Yang Myung-hee, Kang Huisuk and Park Dong-geun. 2013. A Sociolinguistic Study on the name of Korean and Koreans' language attitudes toward the name: Focused on teenage high school students and their parents. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 21(3). This paper aims to compare the characteristics of name and language attitudes towards name of teenage high school students and their parents. This thesis carried out a nationwide survey and as a result drew out several important conclusions. First, the percentage of Sino-Korean name was the highest; the rate of the native name of teenage high school students is two times higher than that of their parents, and more male students had Sino-Korean name than female students. Second, the percentage of parents taking part in the naming process was 60% in parents generation, whereas the percentage of parents and grandparents respectively taking part in the naming process were similar in teenage high school students. This result indicates that grandparents became to play a bigger role in the naming process due to their socio-economic status. Third, the percentage of using the generation character(hangryeol) decreased in teenage high school students, indicating that people are not bound to traditions. Fourth, the rate of female parent who were unsatisfied with their names was the highest. It suggests that there was a social preference of a son to a daughter. Fifth, the parents replied that the most desirable namer is father, followed by naming specialist, and students replied father followed by grandparents. Sixth, the number of students who answered that fetus names are necessary was two times bigger than their parents, and it seems likely that fetus names will be popular in the future as well. Hereafter, by carrying out nationwide surveys of different age groups(their late teens and 40's or 50's), this paper intends to study how the characteristics of Korean name and Koreans' language attitudes towards it changed through different age groups. (279 word)

This study aims to see the change of language attitude in Korea by comparing research done in 1988 and research done in 2005. The research in 1988 and the research in 2005 have in common four domains of language attitude questions. The four themes are the standard language and dialect, honorific, loan words, the use of Chinese letters and the Roman alphabet. Koreans have changed their attitude toward standard language and dialect. They acknowledge the need of a standard language and many people(84.6%) agreed that people on television programs have to use a standard language. Koreans still have a positive attitude toward the use of the honorific. Analyzing the attitude of the honorific revealed that the status of husbands and wives have changed for the better(the status of wife is up). In business the age of speakers has more influence on the use of honorific more than the status of the speakers. Koreans have also changed their attitude towards the loan words. They had a negative attitude about the loan words but this attitude has changed. The attitude towards the use of Chinese letters and the Roman alphabet have changed as well. Koreans have a more positive attitude toward the Roman alphabet and the need of learning Chinese letters has increased. On the basis of these results, we will predict the change in language and implement a language policy.