“I Purple You”: BTS’s ELF and Translanguaging Practices

초록

BTS, the globally acclaimed septet boy band from South Korea, is renowned not only for their record-breaking music and performances but also for their active and fruitful communication with their diverse fanbase, ARMY. This chapter examines how BTS successfully connects with their global fans despite their limited English proficiency. Using data from the septet’s online and offline interviews and fan interactions, this chapter illustrates BTS’s use of various linguistic resources, including Korean, English, local language, regional dialects, and “BTS lingo, ” which encompasses EFL innovations and idiolects, neologisms, and hybrid linguistic expressions. The findings demonstrate that the reciprocal exchange of BTS lingo between the band and fans fosters a sense of intimacy and community and strengthens the artist–fan connection. The findings further suggest that ELF and translanguaging practices among multilingual speakers like BTS are creative, adaptive, and transformative, with the potential to shape the future of English. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Joowon Suh and Eun Sung Park; individual chapters, the contributors.