Sungdai Cho
Director, Center for Korean Studies; Professor, Korean and Linguistics; Professor, Korean and Linguistics; Graduate Director
Center for Korean Studies; The Linguistics Program; Department of Asian and Asian American Studies
Background
Sungdai Cho’s main research areas are syntax, morphology and language pedagogy for Korean. In theoretical linguistics, he is mostly interested in causative, passive constructions, honorific expressions in Korean, and how they are placed in the Northeast Linguistic area. In language pedagogy, he is mainly interested in national standards for language learning and assessment.
After receiving his doctorate in linguistics from the University of Hawaii, he joined Binghamton University in 2000 after teaching for seven years at the University of Michigan, Indiana University and Stanford University. He has published 11 books, including four language textbooks (University of Hawaii Press), three edited books (Cambridge University Press and Korea University Press) and four monographs on Korean linguistics and language pedagogy (Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Cambridge Scholars Publishing). A book is under contract with Cambridge University Press (Korean Syntax)
Sungdai Cho is a founding director of the Center for Korean Studies at Binghamton University since 2008. He was the former chair of the Korean Special Interest Group (SIG) at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), co-chair of the National Standards for Learning Korean task force associated with ACTFL and SAT Korean chair for the College Board's Educational Testing Service for the past 10 years.
He has frequently organized conferences on foreign language pedagogy and Korean linguistics. He has also hosted the 2008 American Association of Teachers of Korean (AATK) and International Circle of Korean Linguistics (ICKL) conference at Binghamton University, a 2018 workshop on Korean at the Nexus of Northeast Linguistic Area I at Seoul National University, a 2021 conference on Korean Linguistics in Cross-linguistic Context at Cornell University, a 2024 Culture Learning Workshop at MIT, and the 2025 Japanese/Korean Linguistics Conference at Cornell University.
Selected Publications
Monographs
- The Comparative Syntax of Korean and Japanese, co-authored with Yutaka Sato. In Oxford Studies in Comparative Syntax. Oxford University Press. 2024. (368 pages)
- Korean: A Linguistic Introduction, co-authored with John Whitman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. (343 pages)
- Curriculum Development and Assessment Guidelines for the National Standards Project, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018. (178 pages)
- On Verbal Intransitivity in Korean: With Special Reference to Middle Constructions. Seoul: Hanshin Publishing Company, 1995. (190 pages)
Edited Books
- The Cambridge Handbook of Korean Linguistics (Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics Series). Co-edited with John Whitman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. (875 pages)
- Studies in Korean Linguistics and Language Pedagogy: Festschrift for Ho-min Sohn. Co-edited with Sung-Ock Sohn and Seok-Hoon You. Seoul: Korea University Press, 2013. (616 pages)
- Inquiries into Korean Linguistics III. Co-edited with John Whitman, et al. Seoul: Hankook Publishing Company, 2008. (570 pages)
Language Textbooks
- Standards-Based Integrated Korean: High Advanced I. Co-authored with Hee Chung Chun, Ji-Young Jung, Kijoo Ko, Hyo Sang Lee and Hye-sook Wang. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2025. (164 pages)
- Standards-Based Integrated Korean: High Advanced II. Co-authored with Hee Chung Chun, Ji-Young Jung, Kijoo Ko, Hyo Sang Lee and Hye-sook Wang. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2025. (164 pages)
- Integrated Korean: High Advanced I. Co-authored with Hyosang Lee and Hye-sook Wang. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005. (265 pages)
- Integrated Korean: High Advanced II. Co-authored with Hyosang Lee and Hye-sook Wang. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005. (281 pages)
Book Manuscripts under Contract
- Korean Syntax, co-authored with Donna Gerdts and John Whitman. Cambridge University Press. In preparation.
Education
- PhD, Linguistics, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
- MA, Linguistics, SUNY at Buffalo
- BA, English Language and Literature, Kon-Kuk University
- Previously taught at Stanford University, Indiana University and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Research Interests
- Syntax and Morphology
- Passive; Causative; Sluicing; Honorifics
- Language Pedagogy
- National Standards
- Assessment
Teaching Interests
- Language, Culture and Society in Korea
- Structure of Korean
- Science of Language and Artificial Intelligence
- Advanced Korean Linguistics
- East Asian Linguistics
Awards
- Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Best Instructor Award (Michigan)