A Survey Study on University Students’Attitudes Toward Dialects and Standard Korean in Jeonbuk Province

This study aims to deeply understand the use of dialects, standard language, and dialect identity by investigating the attitudes toward dialect and standard language usage among university students in their 20s in the Jeonbuk region. A face-to-face survey was conducted with 37 university students majoring in language-related fields who were born and raised in the Jeonbuk area. The survey examined their attitudes toward their own dialect and standard language, as well as perceptions of dialect use among their peers and parents. The results revealed that young people in Jeonbuk perceive their dialect usage as relatively low, yet maintain a positive attitude toward the dialect. Dialect usage increases when conversing with close individuals who share the same dialect, especially with noticeable awareness of grammatical morphemes. While they believe their peers also use dialects infrequently, they perceive the parent generation as using dialects more frequently. In contrast, they consider their use of standard language to be relatively high, particularly in formal settings, with vocabulary being the most commonly used element of the standard language. This study explores the complex attitudes of the young generation in the Jeonbuk region toward dialect and standard language through this detailed survey, highlighting its significance.