My name's Yihwan, and I was born and raised in Burbank, CA which is a suburb right outside of downtown LA. Both of my parents are Korean, and while I was little I spoke and understood Korean fluently. But after I started attending kindergarden and learned English, I slowly lost my native tongue, a phenomenon which I guess is kind of common among second-generation Americans. I tried to learn Korean again when I was in middle school, but I failed. But now that I'm at Stanford, I hope to get some of that lost language/heritage/culture/whathaveyou back!

My experiences speaking Korean/English growing up have shaped an interest in how second-generation individuals learn/lose their native tongues while growing up in an environment that speaks a different language. Since I'm a prospective polisci major, I'm also interested in learning how politicians use language ("crafted talk," discourse of theater, etc.) to advance their agenda. I'm also interested in learning what role language plays in power struggles as well.

I'm looking forward to learning more about language while taking this class!

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