Email: lpolak@uoregon.edu
Hello! 初めまして！My name is Lauren Polak and I am currently a PhD student at the University of Oregon in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. I am a linguist focusing on Japanese as well as other languages in East Asia such as Korean and Chinese. I can speak Japanese and am familiar with some of the linguistic mechanisms at work in Korean and Chinese.
As a linguist, I examine the construction of language practices through processes such as indexicality, as well as the language ideologies that mediate such practices. I am also interested in how language can be used to covertly display and disseminate ideologies. One of my specific interests is the relation of linguistic depictions of identity in (fictional) media to “real life” enregistered practices. Where do they overlap? Where do they differ? Is the distinction as clear cut as it seems? Additionally, I am interested in how these fictional depictions can help L2 learners develop indexical language practices in their target languages.
Outside of academia, my main passion is music. I love listening to a variety of genres from classical to Kpop. I have played the bassoon for over 10 years both in ensembles and as a hobby. Reading and collecting stationery are two of my other hobbies.
Please feel free to check out the other pages on this site, which house my CV, some stuff about my research, my teaching philosophy, and a sample lesson plan.
よろしくお願いします