Ye-Eun Jeong

Ph.D. Candidate in Korean Linguistics @ Yonsei | Lexical and Morphological Emergence and Diffusion in Korean Discourse

정예은 /tɕʌŋ.jɛ.ɯn/
鄭藝恩

About

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Korean linguistics at Yonsei University, currently based in Singapore.My research broadly examines how linguistic form and meaning are shaped by cognitive, interactional, and social context in Korean. My current work focuses on how novel meanings and forms emerge from individual conceptualization, become interpretable in interaction, and develop into shared linguistic resources.I combine linguistic analysis with corpus-based, quantitative, and experimental methods, with a particular interest in word formation, lexical semantics, and the interaction between linguistic structure and language use.

Recent Work

  • Jeong, Y. (2026). 한국어 임시적 개념 범주의 표현 방식 (Expressing ad hoc categories in Korean). 國語學 (Journal of Korean Linguistics) 118. 289-331.

  • Jeong, Y., An, J., & Lee, C. (2025). 대규모 말뭉치에서의 'N+N'형 임시어 추출과 그 특성 (Large-scale extraction of N+N nonce words in Korean and their characteristics). 한국어학 (Korean Linguistics) 109. 415-457.

  • Cho, S., & Jeong, Y. (2025). 형식적 대안집합을 고려한 효율적 의사소통 (Considering formal alternative sets for efficient communication). 國語學 (Journal of Korean Linguistics) 115. 577-620.

Research

  • Lexical & Morphological Emergence
    How novel meanings and word forms are created, interpreted, and structured in Korean.

  • Contextual Meaning & Form Choice
    How linguistic forms acquire different semantic and pragmatic values across contexts and communicative alternatives.

  • Social Distribution & Interactional Diffusion
    How linguistic forms vary across speakers and social groups, and how newly created expressions are reused and circulated in interaction.

  • Methods: Corpus-based linguistics · quantitative analysis · experiments · close linguistic investigation

Education

  • Ph.D. Candidate in Korean Linguistics
    Yonsei University
    ・ Research Areas: Korean word formation, lexical semantics, lexical innovation, usage-based approaches to emerging linguistic forms

  • M.A. in Korean Linguistics
    Yonsei University (2022)
    ・ Thesis: The Formation of Cultural-Contextual Meaning in Korean Neologisms

  • B.A. in Global Korean Studies
    Ewha Womans University (2020)
    ・ Minor: Korean Language & Literature

© 2026 Ye-Eun Jeong. All rights reserved.

Ye-Eun Jeong

Ph.D. Candidate in Korean Linguistics @ Yonsei | Lexical and Morphological Emergence and Diffusion in Korean Discourse

Publications

My research examines the relation between linguistic form, meaning, and language use in Korean, with particular interests in lexical and morphological emergence, contextual interpretation, and socially situated variation. My current work focuses on how novel meanings and forms are created, interpreted, reused, and extended before becoming fully conventionalized. Methodologically, I combine close linguistic analysis with corpus research, quantitative approaches and experiments.A central question in my current work is how novel meanings and forms move from individual creation to interactional reuse, and how these local patterns relate to broader lexical structure. For collaborations or questions about my publications, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or use the form below.

Journal Articles

Note: All articles are written in Korean, accompanied by English abstracts.

Book Chapters

Questions or collaboration?

© 2026 Ye-Eun Jeong. All rights reserved.