معرفی
Yunchuan Chen is an Assistant Professor of the Practice in both the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and the Department of Linguistics at Duke University. He is also a Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. His research focuses on experimental approaches to grammars, second language acquisition, and heritage languages, particularly examining languages such as Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Tibetan, Thai, and Nuosu Yi. He advocates for meaning-based approaches to language teaching and learning.
Chen holds a Ph.D. (2019) and M.A. (2012) in Linguistics from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. His work has been recognized with awards including the 2025 SEATJ Teacher of the Year Award and the 2021 Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award for Excellence in Japanese Teaching.
His research trends emphasize experimental methods to analyze syntactic structures (e.g., quantifier scope, relative clauses) across languages, with a focus on heritage language speakers and L2 learners. Recent studies explore cross-linguistic influence and bilingual processing, reflecting his dual interest in theoretical linguistics and applied language education.
- Awards:
- 2025 SEATJ Teacher of the Year Award
- 2021 Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award
Chen teaches advanced language courses (e.g., Japanese, Korean, Chinese) and specializes in second language pedagogy. His courses include East Asian Languages as Second Languages and Japanese Language & Society, reflecting his commitment to both academic research and practical language instruction.
