School of English
  

Melissa Yoong

Assistant Professor of Sociolinguistics; Chair of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee; Director of Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Social Sciences

Contact

Biography

I conduct research in the area of language, gender and sexuality, with a particular focus on how structural imbalances and gendered disadvantages in professional life are depoliticised in traditional and social media. I have spoken on issues of gender equality for public, institutional and academic audiences, including on the independent radio station, BFM. I am also an affiliate with the Linguistic Profiling for Professionals (LiPP) business unit based in the School of English, UK, and have provided my expertise on gender and language in professional contexts as a mentor for the FutureLearn online course, How to Read Your Boss. In addition to being the Director of Teaching and Learning for the School of English, Malaysia, I am chair of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' Research Ethics Committee and a member of the faculty's Equality and Diversity Committee. I hold a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Expertise Summary

Language, gender and sexuality; critical discourse analysis; conversation analysis; critical stylistics; media discourse; women and work

Teaching Summary

I convene the following undergraduate and postgraduate modules:

ENGL1036 Introduction to Linguistics

ENGL2032 Discourse and Society

ENGL2049 Language, Gender and Sexuality

ENGL4292 Approaches to Language and Linguistics

Research Summary

I am currently working on my monograph, 'Professional Discourses, Gender and Identity in an Asian Media Context' (Palgrave 2020), which examines the discourses and gendered identities of working… read more

Recent Publications

Current Research

I am currently working on my monograph, 'Professional Discourses, Gender and Identity in an Asian Media Context' (Palgrave 2020), which examines the discourses and gendered identities of working women manifested within Malaysian media.

Past Research

Please click on the 'Publications' tab above for details of my journal articles and book chapters.

Keynotes and Conference Presentations:

YOONG, M., 2019. The Discursive Legitimation of the Political Gender Gap in Twitter Debates. At: 12th British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) Language, Gender and Sexuality SIG Event

YOONG, M., 2018. "China Dolls", Madonna Wives, and Vanishing Husbands: Media-mediated Identities of Malaysia's Chinese Diaspora and Economic Migrants. At: 10th International Gender and Language Association (IGALA) Conference

YOONG, M., 2017. Women, Work, and Having It All: Professional Discourses and Identities in Malaysian Media. At: 6th University of Malaya Discourse and Society International Conference

YOONG, M., 2016. "Create Opportunities for Yourself!": Neoliberal Postfeminism in a Malaysian Women's Magazine. At: 9th International Gender and Language Association (IGALA) Conference

YOONG, M., 2014. The Air Hostess and the Chairman: Developing Learner Awareness of Politically Incorrect Language in Newspapers in Education. At: 12th International Asia TEFL Conference

YOONG, M., 2013. Sexism on UNMC Students' Facebook "Confessions" Page. At: Ms Education: Women, Equality and Education in the 21st century

Short Pieces:

YOONG, M., 2018. No more 'leaning in' - the neoliberal myth of the superhero businesswoman holds us all back. The Conversation. Available at: <http://theconversation.com/no-more-leaning-in-the-neoliberal-myth-of-the-superhero-businesswoman-holds-us-all-back-101922>

YOONG, M., 2014. Pull up a chair, we need to talk about sexist language at work. The Conversation. Available at: <http://theconversation.com/pull-up-a-chair-we-need-to-talk-about-sexist-language-at-work-31869>

School of English

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The University of Nottingham
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telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 5900
fax: +44 (0) 115 951 5924
email: english-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk