ENGLWinter2008 Issue

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

Contact for contributions or further information about the articles:

Email:egdept@polyu.edu.hk

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Highlights

Teaching English at Tertiary Level Symposium

Inaugural Conference of the Asia-Pacific Rim LSP & Professional Commission Association

Student sharing of experience in Brazil

English learning project for underprivileged children

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Newsletter of the Department of EnglishThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The 14th PolyU Congregation – Faculty of Humanities

PolyU adopted a new format for the 14th Congregation in 2008 where a series of smaller scale formal conferment sessions were held on Faculty/School basis instead

of the large scale University Congregation as in the past. Three conferment sessions for academic awards under the Faculty of Humanities were held on 25 – 26 October 2008.

The sessions conferred Bachelor’s degrees to the department’s 103 graduates and Postgraduate degrees to its 202 graduates. Conferment was also made to another 124 graduates from BA in Language Studies for the Professions (BALSP), a programme jointly hosted by the Department of English and the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies.

Several awards were also presented to some graduates and current students at the sessions to recognise their outstanding academic achievement.

Every graduate receives a formal gesture of conferment from Prof. Suleyman Demokan, Vice President (Academic Development) onstage.

Happy faces from graduates of BA in English Language Teaching.

Dr Stephen Evans (first row second from left), Prof. Martin Warren (first row third from left) and some MA graduates.

Event Highlights

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Departmental Seminars

4. What makes for a ‘variety’ of English?: Lexicogrammatical aspects of Singapore, Hong Kong, and China/Chinese English(es) (16 December 2008)

The seminar was given by Dr Vincent B Y Ooi from The Halliday Centre for Intelligent Applications of Language Studies, City University of Hong Kong, and Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore. In this seminar,

he made a comparison of English lexicogrammatical features between three speech communities (Singapore, Hong King, and China) which respectively have a large Chinese population base.

2. The Linguist as Detective and Expert Witness (4 November 2008)

Prof. Malcolm Coulthard, Professor of Forensic Linguistics, and Director of Research from Aston University in the United Kingdom did this seminar. He is

probably best know for his work on the analysis of spoken and written discourse and the books An Introduction to Discourse Analysis and Advances in Written Text Analysis. For the past 20 years he has acted as an expert witness in forensic linguistics and has been commissioned to prepare reports for both Prosecution and Defence in over 180 civil and criminal cases.

3. Concgramming Out in a Spoken Academic Corpus (12 December 2008)

The speakers of this seminar were Mari Carmen Campoy Cubillo and Antonio José Silvestre López from Universitat Jaume I in Spain. Their analysis centred on a specific

kind of phraseological instances that may be found in the corpus: a set of verb-particle combinations (VPC) yielded by automated 2-word ConcGram searches. Different kinds of analytical procedures that may be followed to deal with VPCs through the search options available in ConcGram were also described.

5. From Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter: Literary Tourism Explored (9 January 2009)

Alecture was given by Dr Brian Eaton, Senior Lecturer in Tourism at the University of Cumbria. Dr Eaton is a specialist in Literary Tourism. He discussed models

of cultural tourism, and areas of shared interest, method and theory with applied humanities. He applied reader response theory to explore what tourists are doing when they visit the homes of famous writers, and outlined a research agenda in this area. The lecture was well-attended by faculty and graduate students from English, Hotel and Tourism Management, and SPEED. There was a good discussion afterwards, which suggests that our current move into applied Humanities is felt to be attractive.

1. The Mis-representation of Women in News as Narrative (4 November 2008)

The seminar was conducted by Carmen Rosa Calda-Coulthard from the University of Birmingham. In this talk, she examined the ways newspaper reporters ‘represent’

interaction in the language of the news. By deconstructing ‘news as narrative’ texts, she tried to make visible not only linguistic difference in gender representation, but also the ways newspapers handle men and women in terms of different sets of categories or different stereotypes.

Department Updates

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Departmental Retreat Sets New Perspectives to Tackle Challenges

Prior to the commencement of the second semester, the department held its semi-annual retreat on 7 January

2009. In view of the various expected and unexpected challenges like the new 4-year curriculum, new target on research, the recent financial tsunami etc, the very key message across this retreat was to ‘use the difficulty’ – to take a positive approach in a tough situation. Many valuable ideas on teaching and learning as well as research were also generated during group discussions.

External Appointment at International Language Organisation

Congratulations to Dr David Qian, who has recently been elected a member of the Nominating Committee 2009 of the International Language Testing Association (ILTA).

ILTA was established in 1992 with an aim to promote the improvement of language testing throughout the world. The Association now has over 200 members from 27 countries. ILTA depends on the voluntary service of its members to accomplish the work of the organisation. According to ILTA’s By-Laws, each year, the Nominating Committee shall be responsible for preparing a slate of candidates for each position on the Executive Board that is open for election.

Dr Qian has been an active member of ILTA for many years, contributing to the Association in various ways. We hope his continual involvement in the global community of language testing professionals will not only contribute to the improvement of language assessment internationally, but also raise the profile of our Department in this academic community and create opportunities for international collaborations between the department and ILTA.

4th International Symposium on Teaching English at Tertiary Level (11 – 12 October 2008, Jiaxing, China)

The symposium was joint ly hosted by the Department of Engl ish of PolyU and the

Department of Foreign Languages of Tsinghua University. It was attended by around 50 participants from the two institutions as well as other higher education institutions in China and elsewhere.

Prof. Alan Davies from the University of Edinburgh gave a speech on “Assessing World Englishes” while Prof. Lyle Bachman from the University of California, Los Angeles gave one on “Justifying the Use of Language Assessments”. About 25 presentations were done on the subjects of English for academic/specific purposes, curriculum/syllabus/materials development & related research, self-access language learning, language policy etc.

The joint effort from both departments in organising this symposium on an annual basis is aiming at fostering research and academic exchange between the two institutions.

Dr Xu Xun-feng of the English department (third from right) joins with some members of the organising committee to welcome the two key speakers, Prof. Lyle Bachman (third from left) and Prof. Alan Davies (fourth from left).

Research

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Inaugural Conference of the Asia-PacificRim LSP (Language for Specific Purposes) and Professional Communication Association

Mr Joseph Wong speaks at the opening ceremony.

Partnerships in Action:Research, Practice & Training

The Partnerships in Action: Research, Practice & Training Conference was successfully held in Hong Kong from 8-10

December 2008. The event attracted about 170 participants coming from more than 20 different places in Asia, Europe, America and Australia, forming a highly international forum for a dynamic exchange of ideas.

The conference was jointly organised by Department of English, City University of Hong Kong and Research Centre for Professional Communication in English, Department of English, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It brought together academics, researchers and practitioners from Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) and Professional Communication to contribute to stimulating discussions and sharing of good practices.

Speaking at the opening ceremony at PolyU, Prof. Christian Matthiessen, Head of our Department of English, maintained that the ability to master language and communication in business and professional contexts is important for everyone.

In the opening speech, Prof. Suleyman Demokan, Vice President (Academic Development), PolyU, echoed with Prof Matthiessen’s ideas saying that “For all of us in our professional lives, whether we are academics, accountants, designers, engineers

or administrators, the ability to communicate creatively and effectively is an essential part of our professional identities and cannot be taken for granted.”

Mr Joseph W. P. Wong, GBS, JP, gave an impressive speech entitled ‘Politics and Language’ at the opening ceremony. Mr Wong began his speech by quoting the six cardinal rules of the use of language proposed by George Orwell. He then gave a number of examples from eastern and western cultures, the most recent one being Barrack Obama’s call for ‘Change’, to show the importance of language and how it affects the governance of leaders. Mr Wong reaffirmed that in Hong Kong, English is the most commonly used language within the public sector.

The conference provided valuable opportunities for people from the academia, research groups and professionals to gather and discuss global initiatives related to communication research, practice, training, and assessment. It also marked the inauguration of the Asia-Pacific Rim LSP and Professional Communication Association, whose primary aim will be to promote transdisciplinary and collaborative research and training, and to facilitate sharing of resources in LSP and Professional Communication in the Asia-Pacific Rim region.

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Prof. Vijay Bhatia, CityU and Prof. Winnie Cheng, PolyU, who are conference co-chairs, believe the launch of the Association in the Asia Pacific Rim can complement the European Association of LSP to facilitate communication-related research and discussions worldwide.

At the inauguration meeting of the Association it was decided that the next conference will be hosted by University of Malaya and held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2010. The encouraging

1. Introspection and Intuition?: Corpus Functions and Use

This seminar was organised for the staff members of Academic Secretariat (AS), PolyU, on 17 December 2008. Prof. Winnie Cheng explained to the attendees how corpus could be used to enhance their English language and

communicative competencies. A number of practical writing strategies in professional contexts were also illustrated. 13 staff members attended the seminar.

3. ‘commit’ and ‘committed to’: Making Language Choices with Corpus Evidence

The seminar was co-organised with the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union and held on 25 October 2008. Prof. Winnie Cheng illustrated to the attendees how to employ easy-to-use software in combination with readily

available corpora to search for words and phrases and to critically analyse the results. The focus was on how the Data-Driven Language (DDL) approach could help to unravel the use of prepositions in English and how it could explore the importance of collocation more generally. The seminar attracted 40 attendees.

2. Professional Written Communication for Engineers and Utility Specialists

This seminar, co-organised with The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) and Hong Kong Institute

of Utility Specialists (HKIUS), was held on 11 December 2008. To be successful and efficient in their professions, engineers and utility specialists need to be highly competent communicators in English. At the seminar Prof. Winnie Cheng introduced and demonstrated to the attendees a number of practical writing strategies in planning, organising and writing different text-types in English for professional purposes. There were 120 practitioners attending the seminar.

Recent Seminars by the Research Centre for Professional Communication in English (RCPCE)

response from the participants in the meeting is a strong evidence of their commitment to support the professional use of languages. Speaking on behalf of the Association Preparation Committee, Prof. Christopher N Candlin, Macquarie University, is confident that the next conference would be an exciting encounter for scholars and practitioners of LSP and professional communication and it would open up more opportunities for collaborations between all of the stakeholders in the discipline.

Conference participants at the opening ceremony.

Ir Dr Vincent Ho, Chairman of Safety Committee, HKIUS, presents a souvenir to Prof. Winnie Cheng.

Students and Alumni News

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Student Sharing: Life-Changing InternationalCongress in Brazil

Karman Cheung, Year 3 student of BA in Language Studies for the Professions (BALSP) and Local Committee President of AIESEC in PolyU (2007 – 2008) attended

a conference in Brazil in the summer of 2008. She is so excited to share about her eye-opening experience with all other students…

“What is GLOBAL? How many nations of people did you interact with so far in your life? In the summer of 2008, I attended AIESEC International Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AIESEC is the world’s largest student-run organisation for discovering and developing young people’s potential. The Congress connected over 600 young leaders from more than 106 countries. I experienced diverse culture and learning environment that closely related to ‘Responsible Youth, Sustainable Future‘.

The Congress lasted for 10 days, including Global Village, Brazilian Night, Partnership Skill Workshop and Learning Network Day. Our Global Partners such as Microsoft, DHL, Cadbury, Electrolux, UBS, PwC and Standard Charter Bank gave us high recognition in terms of leadership and world mindset. In order to celebrate the 60th Anniversary, there was alumni’s sharing about how they bring positive impact on society.

As the Local Committee President of AIESEC in PolyU, my team and I are determined to create more life-changing experience to sharpen our edge as future leaders through experiential learning in a global context. If you are interested in making a difference in the campus and society, please explore more at http://polyu.aiesec.hk.”

The congress was attended by representatives from more than 106 countries/territories.

Karman (right) introduces Hong Kong to a participant from Bangladesh at the Congress.

Savouring Cultural Factors at Turkish Food Party

Last fall, several students of the MAELT, MAELS and MAEP taking the subject "Practical Communication Strategies (ENGL 561) were discussing

the impact of globalisation on business. Cultural factors were mentioned, and this led to a discussion of cooking. It was a happy result, that they and their subject teacher, Dr Christina DeCoursey, got together at her flat in Sai Kung, to enjoy a Turkish meal. Dr Gail Forey and her three daughters, and Dr Gillian Humphreys, helped with the entertainment too.

Everyone at the party gets a great taste of authentic Turkish food!

Students and Alumni News

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Showcase on Community Service Learning Projects (14 – 15 November 2008)

This annual community event organised by the Student Affairs Office (SAO) was joined by about 15 academic departments and schools

across PolyU. The booth of the Department of English was themed “Building a Better Society with an Edge in English” and about 10 students of the department volunteered to help with activities at the booth during the two days. They played English games with young children, elderly people, and disabled people from different charitable organisations. The two-day event attracted an attendance of about 2,700.

Bringing the Fun of English Learning to Underprivileged Children

Seven students have just finished an eight-week volunteered English teaching project between November and December 2008 for

a group 50 children from Primary 1 to Primary 6. The participated children are all from underprivileged families in the Wong Tai Sing district in Kowloon. The objective of this project was to raise the interest and confidence of these children in English. During the eight weeks, a series of themed activities took place to broaden their scope of knowledge in English.

This “Happy English Learning Group” project was jointly organised by three social service centres in the district, namely Hans Anderson Club Chuk Yuen Centre; The Salvation Army Chuk Yuen Integrated Service Chuk Yuen Children & Youth Centre; and Hong Kong Playground Association Integrated Service for Children & Youth Chuk Yuen (South).

Welcoming Activity for Participants of Mentorship Programme 2008/09

A tea gathering was held on 6 December 2008 to kick off the programme in the new academic year and it was participated by

25 mentors and mentees. A group activity was arranged during the gathering to develop a better understanding among the participants. They also engaged in casual conversations afterwards to share on things like study, work, personal life etc. There are 30 mentors and 45 mentees taking part in the programme in this academic year and we hope all of them will get a good experience.

Student volunteers assist the elderly people to enjoy the English games.

BALSP Year 3 students Jan is a dear friend of the young children during and outside classes.

BALSP Year 3 students Jennifer (left) and Louisa (right) see how well the children apply the Christmas greetings they taught on the Christmas cards.