Simon Perry

Simon Perry is a sociolinguist and applied linguist whose research focuses on language, identity, inequality and professional legitimacy, particularly in multilingual and transnational contexts. He is especially interested in how linguistic and other semiotic resources shape perceptions of expertise, authenticity and belonging, and how these processes are influenced by digital platforms and emerging technologies. Much of his recent research examines the experiences and professional identities of multilingual English language educators in East Asia, with particular attention to native-speaker ideologies, accent, visibility and the unequal distribution of professional capital. His current work also explores digital habitus, algorithmic visibility and the implications of artificial intelligence for language, communication and intercultural interaction.
 

Dr Perry joined Lingnan University’s Department of English in 2026 as a Research Assistant Professor. Before joining Lingnan, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, where he taught courses in sociolinguistics, academic writing and academic communication. He has also taught at universities including Waseda University, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, Tamagawa University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and the University of Strathclyde. His teaching and research interests span sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, multilingualism, language and identity, digital communication, qualitative research and innovative approaches to language education and assessment. His current research programme extends these interests to Hong Kong and the wider Greater Bay Area, examining how multilingual professionals negotiate legitimacy and visibility within increasingly digital and AI-mediated environments.

• Fellow of the Academy of Higher Education (FHEA)
• PGCert in HE (UofLondon)
• PhD (Waseda)
• MA (UCL)
• BA (UofWales)

• Research Assistant Professor, Department of English, Lingnan University (2026 – present)
• Assistant Professor, Centre for Global Education, University of Tokyo (2023 - 2026)

• Sociolinguistics
• Linguistic Capital
• Multimodality 
• Critical Discourse Analysis
• Qualitative and Ethnographic Research
• Language Education and Assessment

• Perry, S. (in press). Humanising Speaking Assessment in the Digital Age: Podcasting and Video Tasks as Multimodal Language Learning Materials In Bell, D. E. and Tomlinson, B. (eds), Humanising Language Learning Materials. London: Bloomsbury.

• Perry, S. (in press). Reimagining Legitimacy: NNEST Trajectories and the Linguistic Marketplace in Japan. In Veliz, L (ed), Reimagining English Language Education in Japan: Ideologies, Inequalities,  and Possibilities. London: Palgrave.

• Perry, S. (in press). Platformed Legitimacy: How NNESTs Perform Human Capital on LinkedIn. Applied Linguistics.

• Perry, S. (2026). From views to value: power dynamics and capital conversion in YouTube language learning communities. The Language Learning Journal, 1-17.

• Perry, S. (2026). Are You Convinced? The Bodily Hexis of Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers as YouTube Language Influencers: Embodiment, Authority, and Performativity in the Digital Linguistic Marketplace. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.70093

• Perry, S. (2025). The linguistic marketplace of YouTube language influencers. Discourse Context & Media 64, Perry, S. (2025). The linguistic marketplace of YouTube language influencers. Discourse, Context & Media, 64, 100864. https://10.1016/j.dcm.2025.100864

• Perry, S. (2024). An Autoethnographic Account of a Native English-Speaking Teacher's Change in Attitude to Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers. TESL-EJ 28(3), n3. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.28111a2

• Perry, S. (2024). Podcasting as a form of Assessment: Increasing Student Motivation in Academic English-Speaking Assessment. Language Testing in Asia 14(15). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-024-00288-y

• Perry, S. (2024). Filipino non-native English-speaking teachers and the contradictions in their own backyard. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 47(2), 382-402. https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.23083.per 

• 2026 KOTESOL International Conference (May 2026): Reimagining Legitimacy in English Language Education: NNEST Trajectories in East Asia.

• 2nd TAAL International Conference 2025 (November 2025): Centering Marginalized Voices: Ethnographic Insights into the Glocal Realities of NNESTs in Asia.

• MAALIC 2025 Conference (November 2025): Repositioning NNESTs In ELT: Ethnographic Insights For Inclusive And Sustainable Language Education.

• The Japan Association for Studies in English Conference, Waseda University (March 2023): NNESTs as Human Capital.

• The Japan Association of College English Teachers ELF SIG, Waseda University (December 2022): NNESTs as Human Capital: Equity through hybrid language policies (International Symposium).

• 13th International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF 13), National Cheng Kung University (November 2022): NNESTs as Human Capital: Equity through hybrid language policies.

• Center for English as a Lingua Franca, Tamagawa University (August 2020): ELF as Defiance of Neoliberalism.

• Temple University, Tokyo Applied Linguistics symposium (February 2020): Non-native English-speaking teachers as Human Capital.

• British Council IELTS Examiner