Narah Lee | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by Narah Lee

Research paper thumbnail of Korean speakers' perception of (im)politeness across speech acts of agreement, compliment, disagreement and criticism

Linguistic Research, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of A Pragmatic and Sociolinguistic Perspective to Subject Expression in Spoken Korean: With Focus on First and Second Person

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding of Korean Honorifics by L2 Korean Learners in Australia: A Socio-Pragmatic Perspective

Language research, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Age as a driving force in referential choices for first and second person in spoken Korean

Research paper thumbnail of Pragmatic understanding of subject expression in spoken Korean

East Asian Pragmatics, 2022

Whereas there are a number of studies that address subject omission in Korean as a pro-drop langu... more Whereas there are a number of studies that address subject omission in Korean as a pro-drop language, expressed subjects have been less explored. I argue that the reasons for expressed subjects to remain un-omitted are found in their pragmatic effects rather than elsewhere. This study particularly investigates the pragmatic effects of the alternation among reference forms for the expressed subject in spoken Korean and uses three different spoken corpora to identify specific examples of the relevant effects. I believe that this study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it shows that shifts among different reference forms play a crucial role in conveying specific pragmatic effects. In particular, I have categorised the pragmatic effects of expressed subjects into two categories, (im)politeness and authority, and intimacy and estrangement, by the characteristics of interpersonal behaviours.

Research paper thumbnail of Pragmatics of Referential Choices in Spoken Korean

Research paper thumbnail of A Reconsideration of the Omission of First and Second Person Subjects in Modern Spoken Korean: Focusing on the Pragmatic Meanings of the Overt Subject Expressions

Discourse and Cognition, 2014

The present study aims to shed light on the pragmatic meanings of the overt expressions of the fi... more The present study aims to shed light on the pragmatic meanings of the overt expressions of the first and second person subjects in modern spoken Korean. As a pro-drop language, Korean omits its first and second person subjects in approximately 70-80% of cases. This phenomenon of ‘subject omission’ has been studied mostly at syntactic level in Korean linguistics. However, a discourse analytic approach could provide more diverse explanations for the phenomenon, particularly in the cases where subjects are overtly expressed, rather than omitted. In this study, I investigate the distribution of overtly expressed first and second person subjects in a Korean spoken corpus and attempt to refine our understanding of the pragmatic and sociolinguistic effects of the overt expression of first and second person subjects. The results show that there are age and gender is related to the distribution of first and second person subject expressions and on the occurrence of various person references. I argue that Korean speakers tend to utilise the overt first and second person subjects to display their social relationships and thereby convey their pragmatic intentions such as expressing intimacy.

Research paper thumbnail of Overt Subjects Signaling Floor Shifts in Korean Discourse

Lanaguage Research, 2021

Despite ample literature on the frequent occurrence of subject omission in Korean, the discussion... more Despite ample literature on the frequent occurrence of subject omission in Korean, the discussion of subjects that are not omitted in utterances has not been fully developed. While some researchers have focused on emphasis and contrast as the main reasons for a subject not to be omitted, the current study addresses floor-shifting in spoken discourse as a primary motivation for a subject to be overt. With respect to shifts of the floor in discourse, I analyze occurrences of overt subjects in spoken Korean corpora and clarify the discursive roles of first-and second-person subjects that are overtly expressed. The analysis shows that overt subjects referring to the interlocutors of discourse function as an explicit sign of the intention to take or give the floor. The findings of this study extend our understanding of overt subjects in Korean by expanding our focus from subject omission in sentences by relating it to the speaker's stance toward the floor of discourse.

Research paper thumbnail of On the characteristics of personal reference terms in Korean: a comparison with Japanese based on TV dramas

Research paper thumbnail of A contrastive study of second person reference terms in Korean and Japanese

Research paper thumbnail of Overt subject NPs as a contrast marker in Korean discourse

Linguistic Research, 2021

Contrast has been regarded as one of the major functions for the understanding of the overt subje... more Contrast has been regarded as one of the major functions for the understanding of the overt subject in pro-drop languages like Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish, in which null subject is more frequent than overt subject in discourse. The literature in Korean linguistics commonly addresses contrast as a significant aspect of an expressed subject, but the research can be further developed with empirical data analysis and re-definition of the notion of contrast. The present study, analysing TV drama scripts, claims how contrast may be differently identified in relation to the recognition of contrastive candidates in discourse. I find that contrast in the data is in various types and that overt subject NPs are used in marking contrast either in a single utterance or over several utterances as the discourse develops. By providing an extended analysis of overt subject NPs as a contrast marker, this study seeks to broaden the understanding of subject expression in Korean discourse.

Research paper thumbnail of Pragmatic inferences of some hybrid words: An experimental pragmatic analysis

Journal of Language Sciences, 2012

The objective of the present study is to verify the derivation of M-implicature (Levinson, 2000) ... more The objective of the present study is to verify the derivation of M-implicature (Levinson, 2000) by hybrid words. According to Levinson (2000), when an expression is marked or non-stereotypical, the recipients assume that the reference is marked or non-stereotypical, and hybrid words are supposed to be marked and to cause M-implicature in current research. In order to examine the cognitive process of the interpretation of marked expressions, gaze fixations are observed by using an eye tracker. The reading time and the number of times that expressions are read by the subjects were predicted to differ by the markedness of the expressions presented in the experiments. Consequently, in the results, the difference in the recognition of marked words and unmarked alternatives is considered to confirm the generation of M-implicature in current research.

Research paper thumbnail of Korean speakers' perception of (im)politeness across speech acts of agreement, compliment, disagreement and criticism

Linguistic Research, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of A Pragmatic and Sociolinguistic Perspective to Subject Expression in Spoken Korean: With Focus on First and Second Person

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding of Korean Honorifics by L2 Korean Learners in Australia: A Socio-Pragmatic Perspective

Language research, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Age as a driving force in referential choices for first and second person in spoken Korean

Research paper thumbnail of Pragmatic understanding of subject expression in spoken Korean

East Asian Pragmatics, 2022

Whereas there are a number of studies that address subject omission in Korean as a pro-drop langu... more Whereas there are a number of studies that address subject omission in Korean as a pro-drop language, expressed subjects have been less explored. I argue that the reasons for expressed subjects to remain un-omitted are found in their pragmatic effects rather than elsewhere. This study particularly investigates the pragmatic effects of the alternation among reference forms for the expressed subject in spoken Korean and uses three different spoken corpora to identify specific examples of the relevant effects. I believe that this study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it shows that shifts among different reference forms play a crucial role in conveying specific pragmatic effects. In particular, I have categorised the pragmatic effects of expressed subjects into two categories, (im)politeness and authority, and intimacy and estrangement, by the characteristics of interpersonal behaviours.

Research paper thumbnail of Pragmatics of Referential Choices in Spoken Korean

Research paper thumbnail of A Reconsideration of the Omission of First and Second Person Subjects in Modern Spoken Korean: Focusing on the Pragmatic Meanings of the Overt Subject Expressions

Discourse and Cognition, 2014

The present study aims to shed light on the pragmatic meanings of the overt expressions of the fi... more The present study aims to shed light on the pragmatic meanings of the overt expressions of the first and second person subjects in modern spoken Korean. As a pro-drop language, Korean omits its first and second person subjects in approximately 70-80% of cases. This phenomenon of ‘subject omission’ has been studied mostly at syntactic level in Korean linguistics. However, a discourse analytic approach could provide more diverse explanations for the phenomenon, particularly in the cases where subjects are overtly expressed, rather than omitted. In this study, I investigate the distribution of overtly expressed first and second person subjects in a Korean spoken corpus and attempt to refine our understanding of the pragmatic and sociolinguistic effects of the overt expression of first and second person subjects. The results show that there are age and gender is related to the distribution of first and second person subject expressions and on the occurrence of various person references. I argue that Korean speakers tend to utilise the overt first and second person subjects to display their social relationships and thereby convey their pragmatic intentions such as expressing intimacy.

Research paper thumbnail of Overt Subjects Signaling Floor Shifts in Korean Discourse

Lanaguage Research, 2021

Despite ample literature on the frequent occurrence of subject omission in Korean, the discussion... more Despite ample literature on the frequent occurrence of subject omission in Korean, the discussion of subjects that are not omitted in utterances has not been fully developed. While some researchers have focused on emphasis and contrast as the main reasons for a subject not to be omitted, the current study addresses floor-shifting in spoken discourse as a primary motivation for a subject to be overt. With respect to shifts of the floor in discourse, I analyze occurrences of overt subjects in spoken Korean corpora and clarify the discursive roles of first-and second-person subjects that are overtly expressed. The analysis shows that overt subjects referring to the interlocutors of discourse function as an explicit sign of the intention to take or give the floor. The findings of this study extend our understanding of overt subjects in Korean by expanding our focus from subject omission in sentences by relating it to the speaker's stance toward the floor of discourse.

Research paper thumbnail of On the characteristics of personal reference terms in Korean: a comparison with Japanese based on TV dramas

Research paper thumbnail of A contrastive study of second person reference terms in Korean and Japanese

Research paper thumbnail of Overt subject NPs as a contrast marker in Korean discourse

Linguistic Research, 2021

Contrast has been regarded as one of the major functions for the understanding of the overt subje... more Contrast has been regarded as one of the major functions for the understanding of the overt subject in pro-drop languages like Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish, in which null subject is more frequent than overt subject in discourse. The literature in Korean linguistics commonly addresses contrast as a significant aspect of an expressed subject, but the research can be further developed with empirical data analysis and re-definition of the notion of contrast. The present study, analysing TV drama scripts, claims how contrast may be differently identified in relation to the recognition of contrastive candidates in discourse. I find that contrast in the data is in various types and that overt subject NPs are used in marking contrast either in a single utterance or over several utterances as the discourse develops. By providing an extended analysis of overt subject NPs as a contrast marker, this study seeks to broaden the understanding of subject expression in Korean discourse.

Research paper thumbnail of Pragmatic inferences of some hybrid words: An experimental pragmatic analysis

Journal of Language Sciences, 2012

The objective of the present study is to verify the derivation of M-implicature (Levinson, 2000) ... more The objective of the present study is to verify the derivation of M-implicature (Levinson, 2000) by hybrid words. According to Levinson (2000), when an expression is marked or non-stereotypical, the recipients assume that the reference is marked or non-stereotypical, and hybrid words are supposed to be marked and to cause M-implicature in current research. In order to examine the cognitive process of the interpretation of marked expressions, gaze fixations are observed by using an eye tracker. The reading time and the number of times that expressions are read by the subjects were predicted to differ by the markedness of the expressions presented in the experiments. Consequently, in the results, the difference in the recognition of marked words and unmarked alternatives is considered to confirm the generation of M-implicature in current research.