Repair Strategies in the Conversations of Korean Travel YouTubers Using Thai
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: In the digital era, online platforms like YouTube have become significant spaces for cross-cultural communication and language learning. This research focuses on the phenomenon of “repair” a conversational mechanism used to address errors or impediments in communication within the context of learning Thai as a foreign language. While repair strategies have been extensively studied in English and other major languages under the frameworks of conversation analysis (CA) and interlanguage pragmatics (ILP), research regarding Thai as a second language (TSL) in real-world and informal contexts remains limited. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the types and strategies of repair employed by Korean travel YouTubers who use Thai to communicate with locals. The study aimed to understand how these learners manage linguistic limitations and negotiate meaning to achieve mutual understanding in authentic situations.
Methods: This is qualitative research and the data were collected from the popular YouTube travel channel “Cullen HateBerry,” featuring Korean content creators (Cullen, Jung, and Dan) traveling in Thailand. The dataset consists of 44 episodes broadcast between April 14, 2023, and April 7, 2024, totaling approximately 2,223 minutes of footage. Data selection focused on segments where Korean speakers communicated primarily in Thai and repair sequences occurred. The conversations were transcribed using Jefferson’s (1979) phonetic notation. The analysis integrated Sacks, Schegloff, & Jefferson’s (1974) turn-taking rules, Schegloff, Jefferson, & Sacks’s (1977) concepts of repair and correction, and Kasper & Blum-Kulka’s (1993) framework of interlanguage pragmatics to categorize repair types and strategies.
Results: The study identified 641 instances of repair, categorized into four types based on initiation and execution. The most frequent type was 1) other-initiated other-repair (48.2%), where the interlocutor (often a Thai native) identified and corrected the error. This was followed by 2) self-initiated self-repair (23.0%), 3) self-initiated other-repair (20.4%), and 4) other-initiated self-repair (8.4%). Furthermore, the analysis revealed seven distinct repair strategies used to manage linguistic challenges: 1) repair through the use of Korean, English, and communication aids (34.7% - most common), 2) incorrect repair that the speaker assumes to be correct, 3) unsuccessful repair that is eventually abandoned, 4) repairing from Korean or English back into Thai, 5) repairing a correct form into an incorrect one, 6) correct repair that the speaker fails to understand and 7) correction from misunderstanding to correctness, respectively.
Application of this study: The findings of this study can be applied to the design of Thai language instruction for foreign learners, with an emphasis on the development of pragmatic competence and communication in real-life situations. The results indicate that instructors should encourage learners to understand the processes of seeking assistance and responding to corrections from native speakers, which are essential components of interaction-based learning. Furthermore, an understanding of learners’strategies enables instructors to design learning activities that align with the developmental stages of interlanguage. This approach can help learners move beyond grammatical limitations toward effective social communicative competence.
Conclusions: Repair in the conversations of Korean YouTubers is a collaborative process essential for maintaining the flow of communication. The dominance of “other-initiated other-repair” reflects a supportive communicative environment where Thai interlocutors and Koreans themselves play an active role in facilitating understanding. In addition, the diverse strategies employed demonstrate the learners’ efforts to overcome linguistic deficits using all available resources, including code-switching and non-verbal cues. Ultimately, this study illustrates that repair is not merely about error correction but is an important social mechanism that reflects a commitment to language learning and the development of cross-cultural relationships.
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