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Mian Feng

Mian Feng

Profile

I joined the School of Languages, Cultures, and Societies, University of Leeds as a postgraduate researcher (PGR) in 2024. Prior to my PhD studies, I completed my BA in English Language and Literature in mainland China, followed by my MA in Linguistics degree in the Chinese University Hong Kong (CUHK). After graduation, I worked as a research intern in the Childhood Bilingual Research Centre at CUHK.

Since joining Leeds, I work as a Teaching Assistant for the module ELU3105 Language for Science, and as a Student Information Advisor in the university student information service (SIS). I am also on the board member of trustees at the Leeds University Union (LUU) since July 2025. Recently, I’ve taken the responsibility of the Research Assistant for Language@Leeds. I also work as an editor for the academic journal Leeds Postgraduate Review.

I’m leading the student-led campagin ‘All Accents Welcome’ in collaboration with the LUU and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (AHC), which belongs to the wider network of ‘Tackling Accent Bias at the University of Leeds’, aiming at tackling accent bias across and beyond the university among the student body. This project is funded by the AHC Equality and Inclusion (EDI) Award, and the LUU.

Recent publications/conference presentations:

  • Feng, M. (April, 2026). L2 Listeners’ Perception in An Unfamliar Accent: Lexical Decision and Trancription of West Yorkshire English [Poster presentation]. The Colloquium of the British Association of Academic Phonetics (BAAP) 2026.
  • Feng, M (2025). Finding the Place of West Yorkshire Vowels in the Chinese Phonological System [Conference presentation]. The 14th White Rose DTP Annual Conference, University of Sheffield, United Kinddom.
  • Feng, M. (2020). Comparison Between English and Chinese Borrowings. Frontier of Higher Education, 2(4), 30-32.
  • Feng, M. (2020). 从《爱弥儿》析卢梭女性教育观其现实意义. 科学导报, 4(26), 367–368. (Translation: An Analysis of Rousseau’s Views on Women’s Education in Emile and Their Practical Implications)

Research interests

I like vowels. They are great.

My research interests lie in second language phonetics and speech perception. In particular, I’m passionate about the perspective of how second language learners perceive and accommodate regional accents (especially vowels) in relation to their first language and familiar second language.

My doctoral thesis aims to investigate how different accents of English (i.e., the West Yorkshire accent) are perceived and acquired phonetically and socially by L2 listeners from the Expanding Circle, raising the awareness of incorporating non-native perspectives in current research landscapes.

I’m more than happy to collaborate on topics related to second language acquisition, phonetics and phonology, and accent variation. I’d also be open to discuss interdisciplinary opportunities both within and beyond the faculty whenever they arise. Please email me and let’s grab hot chocolate!

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Languages, Cultures, and Societies (incoming)
  • Master of Arts in Linguistics (Language Acquisition and Bilingualism stream)
  • Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature (Normal)