Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study explores how a Korean American girl displays identity and cultural adaptation based on audio taped interviews and ethnographic observations. It focuses on three main questions; (1) to which cultural identity did the girl primarily orient herself (2) with what communication style did she interact in the Korean community;(3) how did she adapt her communication style to the Korean culture? The main subject was a 17-year old Korean American girl living in a southern coastal city in the United States. In-depth interviews of both the informant and her mother revealed bicultural orientations. In other words, the 17-year old girl considers herself as both an American who is familiar with Korean culture and a Korean who is familiar with American culture. Her discourse, however, shows the dominance of an American identity. Additional studies are needed to further our understanding of how such an identity is constructed in everyday interactions.