Profile

I am an applied linguist interested in how people use language to participate in social life and learning. My research examines language, aging, and community, with particular attention to identity and interaction in later life. I am also interested in multilingualism and translanguaging, especially how learners draw on their linguistic resources in educational settings. These interests inform my teaching of academic English writing and other language-focused courses.

Educational Experience

Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics. The Pennsylvania State University, USA

M.A. in Applied Linguistics. Peking University, China

B.A. in English. Northeast Normal University, China

Work Experience

Co-Instructor, APLNG 577: Language Analysis, The Pennsylvania State University

Instructor, ESL Composition for American Academic Communication II, The Pennsylvania State University

Instructor, College English, School of Continuing Education, Peking University

English Teacher, The High School Affiliated with Peking University

Research Interests

Sociolinguistics, Linguistic anthropology, Foreign language learning and teaching

Teaching Courses

Academic English Writing

Selected Publications

1.Sun, M. & Schrauf. R. W. (2025). “Shortlisting candidates”: Syntactically incomplete turns in assessments of absent third parties. Journal of Pragmatics, 250, 50-65.

2.Sun, M. & Canagarajah, S. (2025). Translingual negotiation in mixed - gender communication: An analysis of the interactions in research group meetings in engineering. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 62(1), 134-162.

3.Sun, M. (2025). Garage sales as more-than-human affinity spaces: Reimagining social participation in later life. Journal of Aging Studies, 75, 101379.

4.Sun, M. (2024). “I will not lie down and take this without a fight”: Socialization as an ecological process in the narratives of people with younger-onset dementia. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 11, 1668.