ABOUT

Sang-Im, Lee-Kim

  [sáŋɪm]  (이상임)

       sangimleekim[at]yonsei.ac.kr

“The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, 

but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.” 

Stephen Hawking    <A Brief History of Time>

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Yonsei University, Korea. I currently serve as the Phonetics and Phonology Section Editor for Language and Linguistics Compass, an Area Editor for Linguistics Vanguard, a Guest Editor for a Special Issue of Laboratory Phonology, and a member of the Editorial Board for Laboratory Phonology.

My recent work focuses on variation and change, particularly on the relationship between abstract representations and their phonetic implementation, which gives rise to surface variation. In this line of research, I investigate how systematic variability emerges from the interaction of phonological structure, gradient phonetic realization, and external factors, including speaker-specific patterns and socially motivated influences.

My name. I came to realize that the Korean naming system is quite unique, and some explanations might be appreciated by curious readers. My name is a full combination of my family: 'Lee' from my father, 'Kim' from my mother, 'Sang' shared by my siblings and 'Im' for my own. Though complicated, I like my name for that very reason. Perhaps, two things need to be further clarified. 

Thing one. I like to have my mother's as well as my father's last name in my published work. Following tradition, however, I use a simpler form, Lee Sang-Im (이상임), for non-academic matters in Korea. 

Thing two. The first syllable 'Sang' in my given name is shared by my siblings, an old tradition that is used to represent a particular generation in an extended family. Many people don't do this anymore or some families may not give the generational name to girls (!!), so do not assume this particular naming would also apply to other Koreans that you may encounter.