Yaoyao is a DPhil student in Applied Linguistics at the Department of Education. Her research focuses on second language (L2) speech acquisition, examining how adults learn to perceive and produce challenging sounds in a foreign language. Her DPhil project investigates how the sequencing of orthographic and auditory input shapes the acquisition of Mandarin Chinese sibilants in native English speakers. Her work combines experimental phonetics, statistical approaches, and insights from experimental psychology to explore the relationship between perception and production. Her research aims to identify ways to make L2 phonological learning and teaching more effective.
Alongside her doctoral research, Yaoyao works on Professor Elizabeth Wonnacott’s project exploring the benefits of AI-based technology in language learning. Before coming to Oxford, she completed her master’s degree in TESOL at the UCL Institute of Education under the supervision of Professor Kazuya Saito. She holds a BA in Japanese Language and Literature and Translation (first at Sun Yat-Sen University in China, then transferring to the University of Queensland in Australia). She also has several years of experience teaching English in China and teaching Mandarin in the UK.
Supervisors