As a sociolinguist, I'm broadly interested in how our experience as social beings influence the way we produce and comprehend language as well as how we use language to achieve our social goals.
Phonetic variation and change in contact situations
Merger and split
Several of my research projects examine the role of language contact in reversing the merging of phonemic categories, a process typically considered irreversible through linguistic means. I have explored various factors that mediate this phenomenon, including the degree of merger, the form and frequency of exposure to varieties with the phonemic distinction (such as orthography, formal education, geographic mobility), and social salience.
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Style-shifting
My dissertation work investigates the social factors influencing style-shifting in speech, which is a central focus of variationist sociolinguistics. I investigated how Southern Mandarin speakers in Beijing, where Northern Mandarin is dominant, adjust their phonetic production in different contexts (wordlist vs. conversation) and with diverse audiences (Southern vs. Northern). By combining statistical analysis with metalinguistic commentary, I illustrated that D1/D2 style-shifting is available for the expression of stance and identity construction, while also being constrained by cognitive resources and broader sociolinguistic dynamics.
CV Highlights
Lin, Yuhan (2023) Towards a comprehensive model of style-shifting: Evidence from sibilant variation in Mandarin. Language & Communication, 89, 23-41.
Lin, Yuhan, Yao Yao, and Jin Luo (2021) Phonetic accommodation of tone: A tone merger-in-progress reversed via imitation. Journal of Phonetics, 87, 101060.
Lin, Yuhan (2018) The Role of Educational Factors in the Development of Lexical Splits. Asia-Pacific Language Variation, 4(1), 39-78.
Sociolinguistics in High Performance
The creative tendencies in high performance often result in idiosyncratic stylistic practices, yet its market appeal is contingent upon the degree of interpretability for the general public, making it an interesting venue for integrating macro and micro perspectives in sociolinguistics.
While much research on performative language primarily employs discourse analysis and case studies, my work is grounded in the methodology and theoretical framework of third-wave sociolinguistics. I highlight the structured heterogeneity of language in broader speech communities and examine how this interacts with the creative aspects of performative language and its associated socio-indexical meaning.
My earlier studies have utilized quantitative and qualitative methods, incorporating linguistic and non-linguistic data to explore key concepts including style, persona, semiotic landscape and identity construction.
CV Highlights
Wang, Tianxiao and Yuhan Lin (2024). Variation is the way to perfection: Imperfect rhyming in Chinese hip hop. Linguistics Vanguard, 10(1), 505-515.
Lin, Yuhan, and Tianxiao Wang (2024) Rhyming style, persona, and the contested landscape of authentic Chinese hip hop. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(2), 22-41.
Lin, Yuhan, and Marjorie K.M. Chan (2022) Linguistic environment, social meaning and multi-modal stylistic construction: A case from Mandarin popular music. Language in Society, 51(4), 603-626.