Highlights P.2 Academic Sharing Dinner P.5 PhD Graduate Receives Outstanding Thesis

Award P.6 New CAR Subjects for English Communication Skills P.7 Research Collaboration with Tsinghua University

Achieving an academic award at the university level is a major milestone in life and graduation day is an important occasion for university students to celebrate this achievement. We were delighted to share this memorable day with our 297 graduates at the 24th PolyU Congregation of the Faculty of Humanities (FH), where 94 graduates received awards at the postgraduate level or above and 203 graduates were awarded bachelor’s degrees.

During the ceremony, special awards were presented to academic staff, graduates, and students to recognise their outstanding academic and non-academic achievements. In addition, a graduate of our BA (Hons) in English Studies for the Professions (BAESP) programme, Hanna Omila, gave a valedictory speech on behalf of the graduates from the FH undergraduate programmes.

The Department would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our graduates and wishes everyone a promising future!

Congratulations to Our 300 Graduates at the 24th PolyU Congregation (3 November 2018)

ENGLink is published by the Department of English, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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WINTER2018 Issue

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Graduates of MA programmes and academic staff of FH.

The Dean of FH, Prof. Chu Hung-lam (right), presents the Faculty Research & Scholarly Activities – Individual Award to our Dr Victor Ho.

BAESP graduate Hannah Omila gives a valedictory speech at the undergraduate programmes presentation session.

Two of our MA graduates share their joy with our Department Head, Prof. Hans Ladegaard.

PolyU Education Info Day 2018 (6 October 2018)About 20 staff members and students of the Department took part in this annual University-wide event to promote our academic programmes to visitors. There were exhibition panels at our booth to help visitors to learn more about our programmes. Our student ambassadors were also there discussing university life with prospective students and parents. Two current students of the BA (Hons) in English Studies for the Professions (BAESP) shared their study, exchange, and work placement experiences during the three information seminars for the programme. The event attracted around 33,000 visitors to the PolyU campus.

EventHighlights

Academic Sharing Dinner (12 November 2018)To foster ref lection on language research practice and development, the Department hosted the first edition of the Academic Sharing Dinner on 12 November. During the event, our staff members and research students discussed their beliefs about research and exchanged experiences related to their development as language researchers.

In his opening speech, Dr Malcolm MacDonald from the University of Warwick offered advice to language researchers-in-training based on his own research experience. The event, organised by PhD students Madhu Neupane Bastola and Jesús David Guerra Lyons in collaboration with senior academic staff, is one of the strategies implemented by the Department to promote a positive academic environment for research students and faculty.

Dr Malcolm MacDonald shares his research experience with our teachers and students at the dinner.

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Workshop for Frontline University English Teachers (23 November 2018)Dr Phoebe Lin was invited by the English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct a workshop titled L2 Vocabulary Acquisition in the Age of Internet Television and Social Media: Hands on with IdiomsTube. At the workshop, Dr Lin presented IdiomsTube, an intelligent application that she developed to facilitate the acquisition of idiomatic expressions from internet media (www.idiomstube.com). IdiomsTube is designed and aims to be useful for both self-directed and class-based English learners.

Dr Phoebe Lin interacts with participants during the workshop.

Departmental Seminars

Analysing discourse across time with time series models (8 October 2018)

In this seminar, Dr Dennis Tay of our Department introduced the basic logic and process of Time Series Analysis (TSA), and discussed the limitations of existing discourse analytic approaches to the relationship between discourse and time. Dr Tay also demonstrated the feasibility and value of applying TSA to discourse analysis. Through the case studies he shared, Dr Tay suggested that TSA models can adequately predict the use of discourse phenomena across different contexts and time scales. These models aim to bring additional insight to structural developments of discourse invisible to qualitative analysis alone.

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EventHighlights

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Cultural openness, global prosociality and respect for cultural diversity as virtues? Antecedents and outcomes of cosmopolitan orientation across 19 cultures (19 October 2018)

With a research focus on social, cross-cultural, and political psychology, Dr James Liu from Massey University, New Zealand, introduced cultural openness, global prosociality, and respect for cultural diversity as three factors that conceptualise “virtues” of Cosmopolitan Orientation (COS). Dr Liu shared a study with adult samples from 19 countries which indicated metric invariance was found for the 3 COS factors. Dr Liu discussed implications for COS as a system of virtues, drawing from the context of theories of virtue and lifelong learning from the ancient Greeks (Plato/Aristotle) and Chinese (Confucius/Mencius).

The discursive construction of UK national security (2012-2016) (12 November 2018)

Dr Malcolm MacDonald from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, drew on recent theories of governmentality and biopolitics to discuss the way in which security is constructed though language and discourse within modern national and supranational organisations. Dr MacDonald used a corpus-based approach to analyse the language and discourse deployed in a corpus of recent documents from government departments and security organisations within the UK. The seminar concluded by considering to what extent the language and discourse of these documents realise a discourse of ‘exception’ and/or that of ‘illiberalism’.

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Intercultural moments in translating the system (26 October 2018)

Specialising in research in areas of multilingual and intercultural communication and child language, Professor Zhu Hua from Birkbeck College, University of London, the United Kingdom, examined intercultural moments in everyday multiculturalism in an institutional setting during this seminar. Prof. Zhu introduced a four-month linguistic ethnographic study at a socio-legal advice centre offering support to Eastern Europeans in the UK (known as the East European Advice Centre or EEAC). Prof. Zhu explained that the study focuses on how cultural and linguistic differences between people become salient, how people live with, experience, and negotiate these differences on the ground and what role translanguaging plays in these two processes.

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Writing as assemblage: Multilingualism, multimodality, and materiality (5 November 2018)

The lineage of displayed language can be traced back to the 20th century experiments in Western art. According to Professor Adam Jaworski from The University of Hong Kong, the notion of assemblage provides a useful lens for theorising public signage. Prof. Jaworski illustrated this finding with a range of data examples drawn from Chinese–English–Polish visual assemblages in different geographical locations. Prof. Jaworski further explained that the current theorising of multilingual writing under the headings of translanguaging, metrolingualism, polylanguaging, digraphia, or complementary bilingualism may benefit from a stronger focus on multimodality and materiality of language(s) and other semiotic resources.

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EventHighlights

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Noticing and raising troubles in a performative control room (26 November 2018)

Dealing with troubles is one of the most pervasive features in life. Dr Christian Greiffenhagen from The Chinese University of Hong Kong investigated troubles in a control room setting designed to support Blast Theory’s mixed-reality game/performance “I’d Hide You”. The investigation involved live video streams from ‘runners’ performing on the street and a ‘director/stage manager’ communicating with these runners. This study focused on two aspects of how the control room deals with trouble: the first looks at how troubles are brought to the director’s attention; while the second investigated how the director communicates those troubles to the performers outside the control room.

Lost in translation: How health professionals make decisions regarding interpreter use (10 December 2018)

Engaging in family-centred models of care (FCC) with low English proficiency (LEP) families is challenging and may require the use of interpreters. However, there is little information about how health professionals decide whether a family member requires an interpreter, and who that interpreter should be. Professor Liz Jones from Griffith University, Australia, conducted a study by using communication accommodation theory and heuristic systematic processing theory to investigate how health professionals make these decisions. The results demonstrated that although health professionals had a hierarchy of who to use as an interpreter, their practices were often inconsistent with their beliefs.

Strange people and places: the representation of other nations in children’s literature (30 November 2018)

As an author published widely in German and English on image studies, children's literature, and translation, Professor Emer O’Sullivan from Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany, discussed representations of imaginary and purportedly real foreign people and places in English children’s books. From early 19th century ABC books, through atlases of imaginary worlds, to contemporary examples from the 21st century, the materials were examined from an imagological perspective and demonstrated the construction of national and ethnic identities.

Language, education, and linguistic entrepreneurship: A critical perspective (11 December 2018)

The growing emphasis on neoliberalism and enterprise culture, independence, and a willingness to take risks are increasingly emphasised as societal values for individuals and organisations. Dr Peter I. De Costa from Michigan State University, USA, used the neoliberal turn in applied linguistics and the notion of linguistic entrepreneurship to critically examine how linguistic entrepreneurship is instantiated in a range of educational contexts. Dr De costa further related this to a broader embrace of audit culture.

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DepartmentUpdates

Keynote Speech Delivered at the International Conference on English Medium Instruction (24 – 25 November 2018)Professor Hu Guangwei gave a keynote speech on Classroom discourse in Chinese EMI programs: Implications for teacher competencies at the International Conference on English Medium Instruction, which took place at South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.

English-medium instruction (EMI) as a curricular strategy for improving the quality of tertiary education and internationalizing institutions of higher education has enjoyed strong top-down and bottom-up support in China. However, both policy recommendations and stakeholder support for EMI have not been based on solid research conducted in the Chinese context but on assumptions about various benefits and advantages of EMI. Prof. Hu's presentation shares the findings of a newly completed study on classroom discourse in 20 EMI lectures delivered at a Chinese university. Focusing on teacher questions and student responses in classroom interactions, the study's findings raise doubts about the likelihood for the focal university’s EMI programs to achieve the envisioned dual goal of facilitating subject learning and improving students’ English proficiency. The findings also have important implications for the competencies required of teachers to make EMI a truly effective and beneficial educational experience.

PhD Graduate Receives Outstanding Thesis AwardDr Liming Liu Leo, our 2018 PhD graduate, won the Outstanding Thesis Award presented by the Linguistics Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), for excellence on his thesis titled Examining syntactic complexity in EFL academic writing. Dr Liu gave a presentation on his thesis research at the LSHK 2018 Annual Research Forum. The thesis investigates syntactic complexity (SC) of advanced L2 academic writing, with SC understood as the sophistication and variety of meaning-making linguistic devices available in the grammar of EAP. The aim of Dr Liu's study is to identify areas of syntactic complexity where EFL student writers lag greatly behind expert writers, which can be pedagogically taken up in EAP instruction. Findings of the study have theoretical contributions to make for L2 syntactic complexity research and practical implications for EAP pedagogy in EFL contexts.

Dr Liu is very thankful to his supervisors during his PhD study in the Department, including the late Professor Stephen Evans, Dr Yap Foong Ha, and Professor Kathleen Ahrens. Dr Liu also won The Stephen Evans Best Thesis Award 2018 from the Department for the same thesis.

HKCAAVQ Appoints Dr Mable Chan as a SpecialistDr Mable Chan has been appointed by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) as a Specialist to serve on accreditation panels and to advise on quality assurance matters. As an independent statutory body that provides authoritative advice on the academic standards of degree programmes in higher education institutions in Hong Kong, HKCAAVQ maintains a Register of Specialists for the accreditation process. Dr Chan’s appointment is for a period of three years until 31 December 2020.

Prior to this new appointment, Dr Chan served in the same role for the past 5 years. With her research expertise in areas including Second Language Acquisition and Workplace Communication, Dr Chan has been involved in helping HKCAAVQ accredit a number of business English and academic English programmes offered by different institutes since 2014.

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Dr Mable Chan (left) receives the Certificate of Appointment at the Ceremony.

Prof. Kathleen Ahrens, one of Dr Liu's supervisors during his PhD study, congratulates Dr Liu on his outstanding work on his thesis.

DepartmentUpdates

New CAR Subjects to Improve English Communication Skills with PsychologyThe Department is offering two new Cluster Area Requirements (CAR) subjects which aim at improving students’ English communication skills through psychology.

The subject Communicating Effectively in the Workplace combines communication theory and social psychology to unpack issues around intercultural diversity, media history, stereotyping and bias. The subject explicitly explores how individuals communicate and negotiate relationships in their workplace and in their personal lives and is relevant to all students entering the professional workforce.

The other subject, Confidence in Speaking English, seeks to help students understand the theory of second language learning and acquisition (L2) and teach practical L2 speaking confidence skills. Lack of confidence in using a second language is usually caused by anxiety and other negative emotions. This subject is particularly suited to Science and Engineering Discipline students who, because of their interest and focus on science and mathematics, may struggle to use English in the workplace. The subject aims to strengthen their competency in speaking English.

Both subjects are under cluster area A – Human Nature, Relations and Development and are open to all PolyU undergraduate students to enroll.

Understanding European Culture through European BrandsTo encourage PolyU students to learn more about European culture from different perspectives, the Minor in European Studies organised a European Brand Quiz from 16 October – 15 November 2018. Students were asked to attempt 16 questions in an online quiz to win one of six luxurious products (eyewear or watches) sponsored by Bluebell studio, CLUSE and KOMONO. The quiz included questions on current interests like What is the top social media channel that European Generation Z individuals are most active on? and Which brand is the Toussaint necklace featured in Ocean’s Eight? The quiz appealed to a number of students, with almost 600 entries being received.

Two of the winners, Billy and Emily, receive a gift voucher to collect prizes.

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Research

Research Collaboration Opportunity with Tsinghua UniversityThe Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Tsinghua University and our Department have been working partners for many years. Both departments have recently explored a new collaborative opportunity by proposing to establish the Research Centre for Language Teaching and Learning (RCLTL).

Professor Zhang Wenxia and Professor Lü Zhongshe, f rom the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Tsinghua University, visited us on 29 November 2018 and met with Professor Hu Guangwei and our Department Head, Professor Hans Ladegaard, to discuss future collaborations within the RCLTL. Possible areas of collaboration include joint research grant applications, staff/student exchanges between the two departments, hosting of the International Symposium on Teaching English at Tertiary Level, and joint publication projects based on future renditions of the symposium.

A new memorandum of continued collaboration between the two departments will be signed in due course.

Academic Staff Shares Experience at Publishing Seminar (6 Nov 2018)Dr Dennis Tay was invited to be one of the panellists of a publishing seminar titled Publishing Your First, or Next, Academic Book organised by the PolyU Library (LIB). The talk aimed at guiding people through everything they need to know to get their academic book published. The talk also gave advice on which pitfalls to avoid and how to make use of additional resources as guidance for writing. A representative from Routledge gave tips from the publisher’s point of view. As a recent Routledge author, Dr Tay shared his experience in publishing books with the publisher.

IRACHC Lecture on Preventing Job Burnout (20 Nov 2018)Despite concerted efforts to improve workplace health, job burnout has continued as a persistent hazard to workplace wellbeing. The International Research Centre for the Advancement of Health Communication (IRCAHC) organised a lecture titled Preventing Burnout through Improving Workplace Communities and invited Professor Michael Leiter, an expert on the psychology of work, from Deakin University in Australia, to talk about developing work life to appreciate how people perform at their best and maintain a sense of wellbeing. Organisational research shows the drivers of burnout happen more often in the work environment than in individual failings of employees, which suggests a shift in perspective from training people to tolerating the way things are.

(From right) Prof. Lü Zhongshe, Prof. Hans Ladegaard, Prof. Zhang Wenxia, and Prof. Hu Guangwei look forward to the new collaboration between the two departments.

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Research

Academic Staff Appointed as Co-Editor of A-Star Academic JournalProfessor Hu Guangwei has recently been appointed as co-editor of the Journal of English for Academic Purposes (JEAP), an A-star journal in the Faculty of Humanity’s list of academic journals. Published by Elsevier, JEAP is the flagship journal for research on the teaching and learning of English for academic purposes as well as analysis of academic discourse. After serving as associate editor for the past two years, Prof. Hu is now co-editor of the journal alongside Professor Hilary Nesi of Coventry University.

RCPCE Offers Internship to Secondary StudentMike Cai from ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong completed his 2-week internship in mid-November 2018 at our Department under the supervision of Professor Kathleen Ahrens – Director of the Research Centre for Professional Communication in English (RCPCE). Mike was working with RCPCE Project Associate Mr Amos Yung on investigating phraseology usage in the Hong Kong Financial Services Corpus that is available on the RCPCE Profession-specific Corpora website.

"I really enjoyed the two-week experience. I have turned from a novice in corpus study to a person who can understand numerous linguistic terminologies and write a report on linguistic study use ," Mike said. We wish Mike success in his studies and hope we will see him again soon!

RCPCE Profession-specific Corpora - http:// http://rcpce.engl.polyu.edu.hk/

Ladegaard, H. J. (2018). Reconceptualising ‘home’, ‘family’ and ‘self ’: Identity struggles in domestic migrant worker returnee narratives. Language and Intercultural Communication Routledge.

Sun, B., Hu, G., & Curdt-Christiansen, X. L. (2018). Metalinguistic contribution to writing competence: A study of monolingual children in China and bilingual children in Singapore. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 31, 1499-1523.

Recent Research Publications

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Mike (in red jacket) is exposed to aspects of linguistics through the internship in the Department