A Study of Language Planning in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910)

Zhang Hui

Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2023, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (2) : 87-96.

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Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2023, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (2) : 87-96. DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20230208

A Study of Language Planning in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910)

  • Zhang Hui
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Abstract

Based on the annals and other historical documents, this study focuses on the ideology and practice of language planning in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). Language planning in the Joseon Dynasty can be divided into three stages. During the first stage starting from Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty to the publication of Hun Min Jeong Eum by King Sejong the Great, Chinese characters and language were widely promoted. During the second stage which lasted till the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, both Chinese characters and Hun Min Jeong Eum were adopted. During the third stage (1895–1910), the Japanese language became a powerful foreign language in the Korean peninsula. The system of standard Chinese enforcement, the creation and promotion of Hun Min Jeong Eum, the prohibition of the use of the Japanese language, and language policies for the Mongolian and Manchu languages reflect the ideology of the centrality of the Chinese language, the creation and promotion of the Korean national script, and considerations of neighboring countries’ language planning. The ideology of the Chinese language as the center aims at the maximization of national interests and maintenance of the relationship between China and Korea, thus laying a solid foundation for the bilateral relationship. The alertness of the Joseon Dynasty to the invasion of the Japanese language has an everlasting effect on language planning in both South and North Korea. The Joseon Dynasty’s study and survey of languages of neighboring countries facilities the preservation of many historical documents written in Chinese, Mongolian, and Manchu.

Key words

The Joseon Dynasty / language planning / ideology / practice

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Zhang Hui. A Study of Language Planning in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910)[J]. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. 2023, 8(2): 87-96 https://doi.org/10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20230208

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