Andrew Wong Faculty Profile

My research focuses on the ways in which ideologies materialize in and through language. Using ethnographic, sociolinguistic, and experimental methods, I have examined the role of ideology in semantic variation and change, the relationship between genre and social change, and the creative use of unconventional spelling in brand names.  My current project explores how linguistic differences between Hong Kong and mainland China have become magnified and ideologized in the post-1997 era.  I am also interested in the applications of linguistic anthropology in marketing and advertising (particularly, brand name development). I previously worked at Lexicon Branding, where I oversaw its global linguistic and cultural evaluation program.  I am Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sociolinguistics.