Contact
Areas of expertise
Biography
I was born in a small village in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province, China, where both Mandarin Chinese and Korean are official languages. This multilingual environment sparked my passion for languages. I recently completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge, where I researched the acquisition of Chinese grammatical constructions using a corpus linguistics approach. I also hold an MPhil in Research in Second Language Education from Cambridge and an MA in Chinese Studies from SOAS, University of London. My previous teaching experience includes positions at Cambridge, Imperial College London, and the UK Government Foreign Office.
After living in the UK for 15 years, I relocated to Turku in August 2024 to join the university as a lecturer in Chinese, bringing my expertise in language acquisition and education to a new academic environment.
Teaching
I teach various Chinese language and linguistics courses, focusing on developing students' proficiency and understanding of Chinese language and culture. My teaching philosophy emphasises active learning through discovery, and engagement with real-world language use. This academic year, I teach the following courses:
- CHIN0007-3005: Kiinan kielen jatkokurssi I (Intermediate Chinese I)
- CHIN0008-3005: Kiinan kielen jatkokurssi II (Intermediate Chinese II)
- CHIN0009-3003: Kiinan kielen rakenne (Chinese Grammar)
- CHIN0011-3003: Kielellinen vaihtelu (kv) (Linguistic Variation)
- CHIN0012-3003: Kielellinen vuorovaikutus ja viestintä (Linguistic Interaction and Communication)
- CHIN0030-3001: Kielipolitiikka ja kiinan kielen reformit (Language Policy and Chinese Language Reforms)
- CHIN0040-3001: Kiinan kielen kirjoittaminen (Chinese Writing)
- CHIN0014-3002: Proseminaari ja HuK-tutkielma (Proseminar and Bachelor's Thesis)
These courses cover various aspects of Chinese language, from advanced language skills and interaction to language policy and linguistic variation, allowing students to explore both linguistic theory and practical language use.
Research
My research interests focus on describing L2 usage patterns, analysing pragmatic language use in digital environments, and examining discourse surrounding emerging phenomena in contemporary Chinese society. By bridging theoretical insights with practical applications, my work aims to enhance language teaching methodologies, support evidence-based curriculum development, and deepen our understanding of how language reflects and shapes social dynamics in China.
My research consists of three main strands:
- L2 Usage Patterns and Development: I describe and track L2 usage patterns through a corpus-based approach, such as studying Chinese verb-argument constructions to understand learner acquisition. This research informs more effective teaching strategies for Chinese as a foreign language.
- L2 Chinese Pragmatics: I analyze language use in less controlled environments like social media and TV shows, providing insights into pragmatic competence and adaptation strategies among L2 speakers.
- Social Phenomena Discourse Analysis: I leverage corpus linguistics and statistical modeling to explore how language constructs identities and narratives around emerging social issues in China, including studies on the discourse of over-indebtedness and portrayals of government policies in the media.