Undergraduate Fellowship in Digital Humanities (UFDH)

Language is influenced by culture, a development that is unique to humankind. It is specific to a group of people and changes with time. And with all of this, identity is formed, including but not limited to national, cultural, and ethnic. But this system simultaneously divides and oppresses groups, stripping them of their sense of identity to conform them into another. A close examination of the philosophies behind Hangul’s creation, preservation through Korea’s history of colonization, and the uses in the present day can explain the relationship between humanity and language. This research considers the sociocultural impacts of language, using the Korean language as an example and observing its evolution with respect to historical events and timelines. Why is language crucial to humans, other than the fact that it simply allows people to communicate? What significance, or worth, did Koreans find in Hangul that enabled this motivation to protect, and what does this say about humanity? Why and how did language become an essential part of humanity?