"How do I make Oppa Sarang Me?": resemiotisation and reconstruction of meaning in the global anglophone K-pop fandom

Khedun-Burgoine, B

Thesis

"How do I make Oppa Sarang Me?": resemiotisation and reconstruction of meaning in the global anglophone K-pop fandom

Abstract:: The intelligibility of a mixed Korean-English phrase such as “how do I make oppa sarang me?” to a member of the global anglophone K-pop fandom is the result of dynamic and interactive processes of resemiotisation that are articulated on multiple levels. Traditional understandings of language mixing and language borrowing are no longer adequate to contextualise and understand the creative and ideological linguistic practices occurring in diverse online communities. Beyond word-for-word linguistic transfer of words frequently encountered in K-pop lyrics and Korean language media, the indexicality of certain Korean words is enhanced through the addition and subtraction of meanings as they are negotiated within a globalised fandom context.

This process of resemiotisation is a complex one, as transcultural K-pop fans operate within a cultural and linguistic convergence point in the K-pop fandom. This thesis uses three case studies of Korean cultural terms: oppa ‘older brother’, unni ‘older sister’, and skinship, to examine and evaluate how fans create meaning and ideology around the use of Korean words that carry cultural significance in Korean-speaking contexts. Much like the fans themselves, Korean cultural words now exist simultaneously in multiple semiotic contexts and using a corpus-based critical discourse analysis methodology, this thesis pays specific attention to how these words are interpreted and re-coded by English speaking fans. It will be argued that use of Korean cultural terms is read on a binary scale of ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’, mirroring intra-fandom discourse of the ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ fan. This thesis points to the idea that notions of authenticity, indexicality, and context inform the construction of ideology and discourse around the use of Korean cultural terms.

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APA Style

Khedun-Burgoine, B. (2022). "How do I make Oppa Sarang Me?": resemiotisation and reconstruction of meaning in the global anglophone K-pop fandom [PhD thesis]. University of Oxford.

MLA Style

Khedun-Burgoine, B. "How Do I Make Oppa Sarang Me?": Resemiotisation and Reconstruction of Meaning in the Global Anglophone K-Pop Fandom. University of Oxford, 2022.

Chicago Style

Khedun-Burgoine, B. 2022. “‘How Do I Make Oppa Sarang Me?": Resemiotisation and Reconstruction of Meaning in the Global Anglophone K-Pop Fandom.” PhD thesis, University of Oxford.
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