Dr Mi Yung Park

PhD, Korean Linguistics, University of Hawaii; MA, Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii

Lecturer in Korean

In: Asian Studies » Cultures, Languages and Linguistics » Faculty of Arts

Biography

Mi Yung Park is a Lecturer in Korean at the University of Auckland. She received her PhD (2014) from the University of Hawaii and joined the University of Auckland in February 2014.

Research | Current

I am interested in topics for postgraduate supervision related to sociolinguistics, language and identity, heritage language education, and multilingualism. I use qualitative research methods combined with ethnographic and discourse analytic approaches in order to shed light on the relationship between language learning and identity in the context of migration. I am currently working on two research projects funded by the University of Auckland and Academy of Korean Studies:

Language use and identity construction among mixed-heritage children in South Korea

This project explores whether and to what extent multi-ethnic children of Southeast Asian marriage-migrant mothers in rural Korea maintain and develop their heritage language. It particularly highlights conflicting language practices and ideologies among mothers and other family members regarding the children’s minority language development. This project aims to improve our understanding of the factors that cause mixed-heritage children to experience language shift and loss with regard to their mothers’ languages.

Language ideologies and practices among rural marriage-migrants in South Korea

This research focuses on how the Southeast Asian marriage-migrant women construct their language ideologies and develop stances toward their local dialect and the standard dialect, as they interact with speakers of standard Korean. I also explore how their language ideologies and their Korean language teachers’ views have impacted the women’s language practices. Language ideologies and sociocultural experiences among rural marriage-migrants, many of whom are marginalized in Korea, often go unnoticed. The aim of this study is to make some of them more visible in order to gain insight into the position and struggles of migrants in Korea’s highly stratified society.

Forthcoming publication

(in press). Gender ideologies and Korean language learning: Experiences of rural marriage-migrants in South Korea. In K. Horner and J. Dailey-O’Cain (Eds.), Multilingualism and (Im)mobilities. Multilingual Matters.

Teaching | Current

KOREAN 111 Korean for Beginners 2

KOREAN 201 Intermediate Korean 2

KOREAN 300 Advanced Korean 1

Distinctions/Honours

Academy of Korean Studies Research Grant 2017 ($9,000): Language Use and Identity Construction of Mixed-Heritage Children in South Korea

Faculty Development Research Fund 2014-2016 ($24,000): Exploring Language Learning and Identity in the Context of Migration

Responsibilities

CLL Research Committee

Study Abroad Adviser

Areas of expertise

Teaching Korean as a Second/Foreign Language
Language, identity, and migration
Heritage language education
Multilingualism and multiculturalism
Discourse analysis

Committees/Professional groups/Services

Organizing Committee, Sociolinguistics Symposium 22

https://www.ss22.ac.nz/

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

Park, M. Y. (2017). ‘I want to learn Seoul speech!’: language ideologies and practices among rural marriage-migrants in South Korea. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Online first10.1080/13670050.2017.1351419
Park, M. Y. (2017). Developing bilingualism in a largely monolingual society: Southeast Asian marriage migrants and multicultural families in South Korea. In F. Fozdar, R. Zarine (Eds.) Mixed race in Asia: past, present and future (pp. 67-81). New York: Routledge. Related URL.
Park, M. Y. (2017). Resisting linguistic and ethnic marginalization: voices of Southeast Asian marriage-migrant women in Korea. Language and Intercultural Communication, 17 (2), 118-134. 10.1080/14708477.2016.1165240
Park, M. Y. (2016). Integrating rapport-building into language instruction: A study of Korean foreign language classes. Classroom Discourse, 7 (2), 109-130. 10.1080/19463014.2015.1116103
Park, M. Y. (2015). The use of the -(su)pnita form in Korean language classroom discourse. Japanese/Korean Linguistics, 21, 217-230.
Park, M. Y. (2014). A study of the Korean sentence-ender -(u)psita: Implementing activity transitions in the KFL classroom. Journal of Pragmatics, 68, 25-39. 10.1016/j.pragma.2014.04.008
Park, M. Y. (2014). Teachers' use of speech styles in the Korean language classroom University of Hawai'i at Manoa. ProQuest. Related URL.
Sohn, H.-M., Jeong, H., & Park, M. Y. (2013). Toward K-16 articulation for advanced Korean language learning. In H.-M. Sohn (Ed.) Topics in Korean Language and Linguistics (pp. 747-761). Seoul, Korea: Korea University Press.