Discusses how the variety of English used in South Korea has been legitimised through everyday use in society and the media rather than by 'official' means.

From K-pop to kimchi, Korean culture is becoming increasingly popular on the world stage. This cultural internationalisation is also mirrored linguistically, in the emergence and development of Korean English. Often referred to as ‘Konglish’, this book describes how the two terms in fact refer to different things and explains how Koreans have made the English language their own. Arguing that languages are no longer codified and legitimised by dictionaries and textbooks but by everyday usage and media, Alex Baratta explores how to reconceptualise the idea of ‘codification.’ Providing illustrative examples of how Koreans have taken commonly used English expressions and adjusted them, such as doing ‘Dutch pay’, wearing a ‘Burberry’ and using ‘hand phones’, this book explores the implications and opportunities social codification presents to EFL students and teachers. In so doing, The Societal Codification of Korean English offers wider perspectives on English change across the world, seeking to dispel the myth that English only belongs to ‘native speakers’.

"A valuable sociolinguistic study of the growth and spread of English in Korea, crammed with broader insights for World English scholarship." - Rajend Mesthrie, Emeritus Professor and Research Chair, Linguistics Section, University of Cape Town, South Africa

"Baratta’s work fills a critical gap in the area of Korean English which has long concerned those of us in the field of World Englishes. His rich variety of data provides many interesting examples and his discussion about controversial aspects of Korean English will provoke readers to consider essential issues in language contact." - Hyejeong Ahn, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore