The Rise of English Among K-Pop Idols: Language Varieties in The Immigration

Abstract

—Well known worldwide, K-Pop idols are expected to maintain their fame by speaking in English to promote themselves to international viewers. The idea that K-Pop idols ought to speak English is even emphasized by the host of a variety show called The Immigration , aired on K-Style TV. The host has stated that speaking English is essential for K-Pop idols before they attend any overseas performances. Nonetheless, some K-Pop idols are still unaccustomed to English, which leads to the phenomena called code-switching and code-mixing. To explore this matter, this study used three episodes of The Immigration to determine the influential factors behind the code-switching and code-mixing phenomena. Moreover, this study used a questionnaire that was filled out through Google Forms to gather opinions from international viewers after watching the show. The result shows that K-Pop idols tend to switch and mix their languages to maintain topics and solidarity among the group members. Furthermore, the survey shows that the perception from participants of both sex groups toward K-Pop idols may vary due to their sense of belonging to the K-Pop fandom.