The Acquisition and Usage of Korean Honorifics by Italian KFL Learners: an Analysis of L1 Transfer

While existing studies, such as the work of Mueller & Jiang (2013) and Brown (2012), have significantly illuminated the general and L1-influenced challenges in acquiring Korean honorifics, a crucial research gap persists concerning Italian L2 learners. The majority of empirical studies addressing honorific acquisition have historically prioritized English-speaking learners or those from other dominant linguistic backgrounds. This oversight is problematic because Italian speakers possess a unique cultural and linguistic profile, characterized by a different set of politeness conventions rooted in the T/V distinction (Tu/Lei) and bella figura, rather than a pervasive, highly grammaticalized honorific system, which necessitates specific investigation to understand its effects on interlanguage development. Moreover, while the critical role of immersion in L2 acquisition is widely acknowledged (Kinginger, 2014; Cho et al., 2008), its specific impact on developing the "naturalness" and intuitive, spontaneous command of Korean honorifics remains insufficiently explored, particularly in the context of overcoming the limitations of explicit classroom knowledge demonstrated by Mueller & Jiang (2013). This study, therefore, aims to fill this void by providing essential empirical data on Italian learners' acquisition and pragmatic usage of Korean honorifics. Adopting a constructivist theoretical framework, the hypothesis examines the degree to which Italian conceptions of politeness and social hierarchy influence the acquisition of Korean as a foreign language (KFL). Building on this, this hypothesis asserts that, due to the implicit hierarchical courtesy norms embedded within the Italian language, Italian KSL learners will exhibit greater sociopragmatic accuracy in employing Korean honorifics compared to their English-speaking counterparts. This expectation is formulated to statistically differentiate from the findings reported in Brown (2010)'s research. The underlying premise is that the ingrained cultural ideology of the Italian learner may facilitate a positive linguistic transfer, thus presenting less of an impediment than the English socio-linguistic background when negotiating Korea's more explicit and structurally rigid system of social deference.