English Language Studies at Lingnan

The Department of English at Lingnan is a very active research unit. While staff members are encouraged to carry out research in their individual specializations, the department as a whole continuously organizes collective events (the most recent one being the 17th Congress of the International Association for Comparative Literature held in August 2004) for the purpose of keeping abreast with the latest developments in our field. Members of our department have a wide range of research interests in the academic study of English: Corpus Linguistics and Lexicology Some of our colleagues are particularly committed to the development and application of corpus linguistics, and have published on many aspects of the use of corpora in language description. Topics covered include grammar, keywords in texts, and metaphor in everyday language uses. Discourse Analysis and Sociolinguistics Other colleagues have worked and published extensively on critical discourse analysis, media discourse, gender/class/ethnicity and identity in language, stylistics, and narratology. Psycholinguistics and Teaching/Learning English as a Global Language There has also been considerable research in a number of sub-fields related to English language teaching and learning: second language acquisition, English in the workplace, and academic writing. Publications in these areas have important implications for making local language policies as well as solving cross-cultural issues in the practice of English language teaching and learning. Translation and Comparative Literature Last but not least, our department is very strong in the teaching and research of English Literature in its variety of forms and from cross-cultural perspectives. Our publications in recent years have covered such topics as Other Literatures in English and their canonization in different cultural contexts.