Korean Cultural Conceptualizations of Two Uncles: Ajeossi and Samchon Using a Usage-Based Approach

Abstract

This paper investigates two Korean address terms, ajeossi and samchon, collectively translated to ‘uncle’ in English, from a Cultural Linguistics perspective by examining words typically collocated with them. The data was gathered from the Korean web 2018 (koTenTen18) as found in Sketch Engine. The findings show that (i) the term ajeossi mainly refers to a male adult who is not blood-related, while samchon generally refers to a family member. The term ajeossi also displays a stronger categorical conceptualization than samchon in terms of how an ajeossi should look and behave. An ajeossi is seen as a protector and older than samchon, while samchon is someone who needs protection. The conceptu..