Heated debates ensue in Korea whenever K-pop idols like Jang Won-young introduce themselves in English or South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an English speech. The discussion is around an element that supposedly has a large influence in determining the speaker's English proficiency — the public figures’ English pronunciation. Praised are the ones who imitate the smooth American intonation or posh British accent; those who fail to do so are viewed as terrible English speakers. Now is the time for Korean society to question this unhealthy idolization of native-like pronunciation and redefine what it means to be fluent in English.

Origins of an obsession

The pursuit of perfect pronunciation did not emerge overnight. Tracing back to the early 2000s, then-President Lee Myung-bak initiated sweeping educational reform to equip South Korean students with better English skills to compete on a global stage. Consequently, the demand for English education skyrocketed, and with it, the eagerness to acquire native-like fluency.

How this aspiration evolved into fixation lies in the very nature of South Korea's English education system. Fluency, often equated with native-like pronunciation, is a crucial criterion in determining one’s competence in English. This is because the rigorous education system and the related focus on exam preparation often leave students unfamiliar with speaking English in real life. An experiment involving a speech by Korea-born, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon displays how this unfamiliarity with comprehending the detailed contents of English dialogues leads to a tendency to evaluate English by pronunciation. The English speech by Ban was shown, and participants, both native and nonnative English speakers, were asked to determine his English proficiency. Native speakers valued his proficiency highly due to Ban’s refined vocabulary and in-depth content while non-native speakers did not, due to his “unnatural” pronunciation.

The common notion that mastering native intonation equals mastering English manifests in an alarming social phenomenon — the lingual frenectomy surgery boom in the 2000s. Done in a way that burns out a particular root of the tongue, the frenulum, the surgery gained popularity among parents to help their children pronounce "R"s and "L"s like native speakers. In the present day, this fixation with pronunciation continues. A study, published in the Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial Cooperation Society in 2022, showed that most South Korean college students perceived American pronunciation as the “best” and the ideal form of English fluency, thereby highlighting the ongoing hierarchy in native intonations.

Obsession, perpetuated

While pronunciation is undoubtedly important, it should not overshadow the primary purpose of language, which is to communicate. When fluency becomes the sole measure of one's English proficiency, the essence of learning the language is lost.

A fixation with native-like pronunciation quickly discourages learners from mastering English. By reflecting the overwhelming needs of learners to prioritize intonation, South Korea's English education industry neglects practical skills such as vocabulary and expressions. Educational apps like “Speak,” which claim to help users correct their intonations in an American style, are highly ranked, and online tutoring sessions focused on acquiring native accents are popular nationwide. Such a learning environment perpetuates a cycle of obsession where students focus on sounding like native speakers instead of effectively using the language for functional purposes.

Furthermore, the demand for native-like pronunciation fails to consider the status of English as a universal language spoken among nonnative speakers. According to Ethnologue, of the 1.453 billion English speakers worldwide, only 373 million are native speakers, with 297.4 million from the United States. The remaining 1.08 billion people speak English as a second language. Variations in pronunciation are not a matter of right or wrong; they are natural outcomes of English being spoken globally.

Need for mindset reform

To break free from this fixation, mindset reform is imperative. South Koreans must first accept themselves as "nonnative" English speakers. This admission should not be viewed as an embarrassment, but as an acknowledgment of the cultural richness resulting from speaking English with different intonations.

The emphasis should shift to prioritizing effective communication and cultural understanding in fostering a more inclusive English-learning environment. Just like how South Koreans appreciate foreigners attempting to speak Korean regardless of their pronunciation, they should extend the same courtesy to nonnative English speakers. By embracing the cultural value of diverse English accents and acknowledging that being a nonnative English speaker is not a limitation but a unique identity, Korean society should redefine what it means to be proficient in English.

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This piece is one of the three winning entries in the inaugural student column contest, co-hosted by The Korea Herald and the SNU Quill, the sole English newspaper of Seoul National University. The column has been edited for clarity and brevity. The writer is a sophomore at Yonsei University’s Underwood International College. She can be reached at seungmin@yonsei.ac.kr. – Ed.