Prof. Dr Soonja Choi

SDSU

Department of Linguistics & Asian/Middle-Eastern Languages

Soonja Choi, Ph.D

Dr.

Biographical information

Current research areas

The Child Language Lab

Selected publications

Courses

Address

Biographical information

Professor of Linguistics; Graduate Advisor, Deptartment of Linguistics and Asian/Middle-Eastern Languages, San Diego State University

Ph.D., 1986, Linguistics, SUNY, Buffalo;
Maîtrise, Applied Linguistics, Université de Paris IV;

M.A., French Language and Literature, Seoul National University;
B.A., French Language and Literature, Sacred Heart College, Seoul, Korea.

Current research areas

My primary research interest is to understand the relationship between language and cognition in infancy, early childhood, and adulthood. Currently, I am working on several projects all of which involve crosslinguistic comparisons, and I use both naturalistic speech data and experimental data in these projects:

(1) development of spatial semantic categories in children learning Korean and English,

(2) nonlinguistic spatial categories in pre-verbal children; interaction between language and cognition in adult speakers.

(3) similarities and differences in expressions of motion events in English, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, and

(4) relation between caregiver input and early lexical and syntactic development.

The Child Language Lab

Selected publications

Choi, S. (2009). Typological differences in syntactic expressions of Path and Causation. In V. Gathercole (ed.) Routes to Language: Studies in honor of Melissa Bowerman. (pp. 169-194) Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Choi, S. & McDonough (2007). Adapting spatial concepts for difference languages: From preverbal event schemas to Semantic Categories. In J. Plumert & J. Spencer (eds.) The Emerging Spatial Mind. Oxford University Press.

Choi, S. (2006). Influence of language-specific input on spatial cognition: Categories of containment. First Language, 26 (2), 207-232.

Choi, S. (2006). Preverbal spatial cognition and language-specific input: Categories of containment and support. In R. Golinkoff & K. Hirsh-Pasek (eds.), Action meets word: How children learn verbs (pp. 191-207). Oxford University Press.
McDonough, L., Choi, S., Mandler, J. (2003). Understanding spatial relations: Flexible infants, lexical adults. Cognitive Psychology, 46, 229-259.

Bowerman, M. and Choi, S. (2003). Space under construction: Language specific spatial categorization in first language acquisition. In D. Gentner and S. Goldin-Meadow (Eds) Language in Mind: Advances in the study of Language and Cognition (pp. 387-428). Cambridge: MIT Press.

Bowerman, M. and Choi, S. (2001). Shaping meanings for language: universal and language-specific in the acquisition of spatial semantic categories. In M. Bowerman and S. C. Levinson (Eds) Language acquisition and conceptual development, (pp. 475-511). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Choi, S. (2000). Caregiver input in English and Korean: Use of nouns and verbs in book-reading and toy-play contexts. Journal of Child Language, 27.

Choi, S. (1999). Early development of verb structures and caregiver input in Korean: Two case studies. International Journal of Bilingualism, 3, 241-265.

Choi, S., McDonough, L., Bowerman, M. & Mandler, J. (1999). Early sensitivity to language-specific spatial terms in English and Korean. Cognitive Development, 14, 241-268.

Choi, S. & Aksu-Koç, A. (1999). Development of modality in Korean and Turkish: A crosslinguistic comparison. In E. Erguvanli-Taylan, A. Ozsoy, & A. Kuntay (Eds.) Selected Papers from the VIIth International Congress for the Study of Child Language (pp.77-96). Istanbul, Turkey: Bo—aziçi University Press.

Choi, S. (1998). Verbs in early lexical and syntactic development in Korean. Linguistics, 36, 755-780.

Choi, S. (1998). Acquisition of Korean. In L. Leonard (Ed.) Language Acquisition in North America: Cross-cultural and Cross-linguistic Perspectives (pp. 281-336). San Diego, CA: Singular.

Choi, S. (1997). Language-specific input and early semantic development: Evidence from children learning Korean. In D. Slobin (ed.) The Crosslinguistic Study of Language Acquisition, Vol. 5: Expanding Contexts. (pp. 41-133). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Courses

Language Acquisition (Linguistics 452)

Psycholinguistics (Linguistics 552)

Bilingualism (Linguistics 553)

Child Language Acquisition (Linguistics 554)

Language and Cognition (Linguistics 654)

Address

Department of Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7727

phone: 619 594 5885

schoi@mail.sdsu.edu

Maintained by:linguist@rohan.sdsu.edu

Last update: 01/06/03

	Biographical information
	Current research areas The Child Language Lab
	Selected publications
	Courses
	Address

	Biographical information
	Professor of Linguistics; Graduate Advisor, Deptartment of Linguistics and Asian/Middle-Eastern Languages, San Diego State University Ph.D., 1986, Linguistics, SUNY, Buffalo; Maîtrise, Applied Linguistics, Université de Paris IV; M.A., French Language and Literature, Seoul National University; B.A., French Language and Literature, Sacred Heart College, Seoul, Korea.
	Current research areas
	My primary research interest is to understand the relationship between language and cognition in infancy, early childhood, and adulthood. Currently, I am working on several projects all of which involve crosslinguistic comparisons, and I use both naturalistic speech data and experimental data in these projects: (1) development of spatial semantic categories in children learning Korean and English, (2) nonlinguistic spatial categories in pre-verbal children; interaction between language and cognition in adult speakers. (3) similarities and differences in expressions of motion events in English, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, and (4) relation between caregiver input and early lexical and syntactic development. The Child Language Lab
	Selected publications
	Choi, S. (2009). Typological differences in syntactic expressions of Path and Causation. In V. Gathercole (ed.) Routes to Language: Studies in honor of Melissa Bowerman. (pp. 169-194) Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Choi, S. & McDonough (2007). Adapting spatial concepts for difference languages: From preverbal event schemas to Semantic Categories. In J. Plumert & J. Spencer (eds.) The Emerging Spatial Mind. Oxford University Press. Choi, S. (2006). Influence of language-specific input on spatial cognition: Categories of containment. First Language, 26 (2), 207-232. Choi, S. (2006). Preverbal spatial cognition and language-specific input: Categories of containment and support. In R. Golinkoff & K. Hirsh-Pasek (eds.), Action meets word: How children learn verbs (pp. 191-207). Oxford University Press. McDonough, L., Choi, S., Mandler, J. (2003). Understanding spatial relations: Flexible infants, lexical adults. Cognitive Psychology, 46, 229-259. Bowerman, M. and Choi, S. (2003). Space under construction: Language specific spatial categorization in first language acquisition. In D. Gentner and S. Goldin-Meadow (Eds) Language in Mind: Advances in the study of Language and Cognition (pp. 387-428). Cambridge: MIT Press. Bowerman, M. and Choi, S. (2001). Shaping meanings for language: universal and language-specific in the acquisition of spatial semantic categories. In M. Bowerman and S. C. Levinson (Eds) Language acquisition and conceptual development, (pp. 475-511). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Choi, S. (2000). Caregiver input in English and Korean: Use of nouns and verbs in book-reading and toy-play contexts. Journal of Child Language, 27. Choi, S. (1999). Early development of verb structures and caregiver input in Korean: Two case studies. International Journal of Bilingualism, 3, 241-265. Choi, S., McDonough, L., Bowerman, M. & Mandler, J. (1999). Early sensitivity to language-specific spatial terms in English and Korean. Cognitive Development, 14, 241-268. Choi, S. & Aksu-Koç, A. (1999). Development of modality in Korean and Turkish: A crosslinguistic comparison. In E. Erguvanli-Taylan, A. Ozsoy, & A. Kuntay (Eds.) Selected Papers from the VIIth International Congress for the Study of Child Language (pp.77-96). Istanbul, Turkey: Bo—aziçi University Press. Choi, S. (1998). Verbs in early lexical and syntactic development in Korean. Linguistics, 36, 755-780. Choi, S. (1998). Acquisition of Korean. In L. Leonard (Ed.) Language Acquisition in North America: Cross-cultural and Cross-linguistic Perspectives (pp. 281-336). San Diego, CA: Singular. Choi, S. (1997). Language-specific input and early semantic development: Evidence from children learning Korean. In D. Slobin (ed.) The Crosslinguistic Study of Language Acquisition, Vol. 5: Expanding Contexts. (pp. 41-133). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
	Courses
	Language Acquisition (Linguistics 452) Psycholinguistics (Linguistics 552) Bilingualism (Linguistics 553) Child Language Acquisition (Linguistics 554) Language and Cognition (Linguistics 654)
	Address
	Department of Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-7727 phone: 619 594 5885 schoi@mail.sdsu.edu