Nok Chin Lydia Chan

Read about research being undertaken by Nok Chin Lydia Chan, a PhD student in Applied Linguistics.

Thesis title

How do L1 and L2 speakers of English comprehend and produce familiar constructions used ironically?

Supervisors

A/Prof Anna Siyanova and Dr Stephen Skalicky

Abstract

While some studies have shown that irony requires more time to process compared to non-ironic utterances (e.g., Akimoto et al., 2012; Olkoniemi et al., 2016), some other research (e.g., Ivanko & Pexman, 2003; Kowatch et al., 2013) has found that it is not the case. It is worth noting, however, that far too much previous research has relied solely on faster processing as evidence of qualitatively different processes between ironic and non-ironic statements, and usually lack a genuine measurement of irony comprehension (Skalicky, 2023).

Apart from processing, many researchers are also interested the prosody of irony. Studies have shown that although prosodic features are also used as cues for irony in languages other than English (e.g., Chen & Boves, 2018; Li et al., 2020), these features are not necessarily used in the same way (Skalicky, 2023). Given the differences and similarities in irony prosody among languages, it is worth questioning whether irony can be detected from prosody in one’s L2 (Cheang & Pell, 2009).

Hence, this research project aims to address the above research gaps via two experimental studies. Study 1 is an extension of Kowatch et al. (2013), and it looks at how by L1 and L2 English speakers of Cantonese and Mandarin L1 backgrounds comprehend the familiar English construction ‘I just love/ hate + Noun’ when it is used ironically. Study 2, which is a production experiment adapted from Chen and Boves (2018), examines how four different constructions, viz. ‘What + AdjP’, ‘How + AdjP’, ‘Since when + VP’, and ‘As if + VP’ are produced (prosody) ironically by L1 and L2 English speakers of Cantonese and Mandarin L1 backgrounds.

Biography

Nok Chin Lydia Chan is currently pursuing her PhD in Applied Linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She holds an M.A. in English (Language Science with a specialization in English Linguistics) at Stockholm University, Sweden, and an B.A. in English with minor in Spanish at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Her research interests include Formulaic Language, Cognitive Linguistics and Psycholinguistics, Corpus Linguistics, and bi/multilingualism.

Publications

Chan, K. L. R. and Chan, N. C. L. (2023). Preliminary Study on Conflations in Hong Kong English. Proceedings of the 20th AsiaTEFL – 68th TEFLIN – 5th iNELTAL Conference.

Chan, K. L. R. and Chan, N. C. L. (2021). Segmental features of Hong Kong English: A contrastive analysis. Journal of Universal Language, 22(2), 1-44. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2021.22.2.1

Chan, N. C. L. (in press). Grammar “bores the crap out of me!”: A mixed-method study on the "X the Y out of Z" construction and its usage by ESL and ENL speakers. In Barðdal, J. et al. (Ed.). Grammar and Corpora: Linguistik in Empirie und Theorie / Empirical and Theoretical Linguistics. Springer.

Chan, K. L. R. and Chan, N. C. L. (in press). Using the Internet as a corpus for English teacher training under multilingualism: Challenges and potentials. In Karpava, S. (Ed.). Multilingualism, Multiculturalism and Inclusive Education. BRILL: Leiden/Boston.

Wang, Y. and Chan, N. C. L. (2023). L2 speakers’ use of formulaic sequences in university seminars. In Walková M. (Ed.), Linguistic approaches in EAP: Expanding the discourse, 11-25. Bloomsbury: London.

Presentations/Invited talks

Chan, N. C. L. (2021, June). Grammar “bores the crap out of me!”: A mixed-method study on the XTYOFZ construction and its usage by ESL and ENL speakers. Paper presented at the Postgraduate Research Symposium on Linguistics, Language, and Speech 2021, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

Chan, N. C. L. (2021, December). Grammar “bores the crap out of me!”: A mixed-method study on the XTYOFZ construction and its usage by ESL and ENL speakers. Paper presented at the 6th Asian Junior Linguistics Conference, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea.

Chan, N. C. L. (2022, June). Grammar “bores the crap out of me!”: A mixed-method study of the “X the Y out of Z” construction and its usage by ESL and ENL speakers. Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Grammar & Corpora 2022, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Chan, N. C. L. (2023, April). Creative instances of Formulaic Language in ESL teaching and learning – The case of [V the N out of NP] construction. Academic Talk for MA program in International Language Education. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong. (Invited talk.)

Skalicky, S., Siyanova-Chanturia, A., & Chan, N. C. L. (2024, February). Extending the psycholinguistic study of verbal irony to second-language contexts. Paper presented at the 30th Annual Conference of the Australasian Humour Studies Network (AHSN), Brisbane, Australia.