Unlocking the Richness
of Asian Literature in English
An innovative, user-friendly public portal for the corpora and research findings generated by the "Asian Literature in English" project. Explore advanced search and analysis functionalities to conduct your own linguistic and literary investigations.
Explore Our Core Research Areas
Discover the innovative linguistic research powering our platform
Linguistic Innovations
Discover how bilingual authors creatively adapt English, introducing novel lexical, semantic, and phrasal forms. See examples like direct borrowings ('shuanggui'), transliterations ('Dragon Well tea'), and creative proverbs.
Learn MoreCultural Metaphors
Explore how culturally-specific metaphors serve as powerful rhetorical and cognitive devices. Uncover the meaning behind expressions like "Falling leaves return to their roots" and "Fish swimming in a cauldron".
Learn MoreTranslanguaging Strategies
Investigate the deliberate strategies authors use to weave cultural elements into their narratives, categorized into themes of 'Place', 'Classic Literature', 'History', 'Specialty', and 'Social Politics'.
Learn MoreOur Research Initiative
"Asian literature in English: Creativity, translanguaging, and language education" is a comprehensive research initiative aimed at developing a diverse corpus of literary works by bilingual Asian writers, tracing linguistic innovations, and generating educational resources to highlight the unique contributions of Asian writers to world literature.
Meet the Team & See Our AimsCorpus Analysis & Metaphor Discovery
Analyze our curated Asian literary corpora to explore word patterns, cultural metaphors, and translanguaging strategies based on our research findings—or upload your own texts to uncover cultural insights and discover potential metaphorical expressions.
1 Select Your Corpus
2 Explore Analysis
Enter a search term in the box above the results to view concordance lines.
Potential Metaphorical Patterns Extraction
Upload or paste your text, then click "Analyze Text" to extract potential metaphorical patterns in the texts. Or you can use our default corpus to discover our findings.
Research Findings & Explorations
Interactive Research Explorers
Engage directly with our findings through these interactive modules. Each explorer provides a hands-on way to understand the key concepts of our research.
Cultural Metaphor Explorer
Based on our analysis of Adeline Yen Mah’s "Falling Leaves Return to their Roots", this tool showcases culturally-specific metaphors. Explore the list below to see how these expressions bridge cultural divides.
- Falling leaves return to their roots: Confucian emphasis on ancestral reverence and cyclical familial duties.
- Marriage is a gamble: Highlights the uncertainty and compromise inherent in arranged marriages.
- Fish swimming in a cauldron: Symbolizes stifled individuality in rigid familial/social structures.
- Hearts reduced to ashes: Alludes to Daoist philosophy, where ashes symbolize detachment and emotional numbness.
- A chicken talking to a duck: Reflects challenges in mutual understanding due to linguistic or cultural differences.
Publications
Our latest research findings and scholarly contributions
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About the Project & Team
Meet the team driving innovation in Asian literature research
Initiative Aims
- Develop a diverse range of corpora of literary works in English from bilingual Asian writers.
- Design an innovative and user-friendly website with sophisticated search and analysis functionalities.
- Trace linguistic innovations and cultural meanings in Asian works in English through interdisciplinary perspectives.
- Engage with experts to co-construct and emphasize the contributions of Asian writers to world literature.
- Generate educational resources from Asian literary works in English to inform language education globally.
Our Team
Principal Project Supervisor
Dr Ma Qing, Angel (Professor, FHM/LML), Dr Tse Yin Nga Kelly (Assistant Professor, FHM/LCS), Prof John Erni (Chair Professor of Cultural Studies, LCS; Dean, FHM)
Research Staff
SU Xiaoqi (Research Assistant)
Co-supervisors
Dr Lee Ju Seong, Dr Banerjee Bidisha, Dr Wang Lixun, Dr Zou Di Daisy, Dr Chang Tsung-chi Hawk, Dr Liu Yiqi April, Dr Mak Wing Wah Pauline, Dr Chen Hsueh Chu
Future Direction: AI Integration
As outlined in our research proposals, we are actively developing a Human-AI collaborative approach to enhance the detection and analysis of cultural metaphors. Future versions of this website will integrate a custom AI chatbot, trained on our corpora and research, to provide users with real-time, intelligent analytical assistance.
Key Concepts Glossary
A quick reference for the core theoretical terms used throughout our research
Corpus Linguistics
The study of language as expressed in corpora (samples) of "real world" text. This approach uses computational tools to systematically analyze large amounts of linguistic data for patterns and frequencies.
Cultural Metaphor
A rhetorical and cognitive device that conveys complex cultural themes, representing a culture's shared beliefs and practices. It highlights the interaction between language, thought, and cultural context.
Translanguaging
A communicative practice where bilinguals and multilinguals fluidly utilize their full linguistic repertoire across languages and modes of expression to communicate and create meaning. It views languages not as separate systems, but as an integrated resource.
MIPVU
(Metaphor Identification Procedure VU University Amsterdam) A detailed, step-by-step method for identifying metaphor-related words in discourse. It provides clear guidelines and criteria to ensure reliable and consistent metaphor analysis.
News & Events
Stay updated with our latest publications and presentations
Journal Article Published
Ma, Q., Su, X., Erni, J. N., & Xu, Z. (2025). Exploring transcultural translanguaging strategies in English literature of a bilingual Chinese author: a corpus-based study. Asian Englishes, 1-21.
Book Chapter Published
Ma, Q., & Su, X. (2025). "Showdown Looming in the Forbidden City—" A Corpus-based Study of Translanguaging Strategies Use by a Bilingual Chinese Author of English Fiction. In W. Lixun, M. Qing, & Z. Di (Eds.), Technology-Enhanced and Corpus Based Language Learning and Teaching: Innovations and Insights (pp. 130-149). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Conference Presentation
Ma, Q., & Su, X. (2025). A Corpus-Based Approach for Investigating Cultural Metaphors in Bilingual English Literature and its implications for English Language Education. In the 9th HAAL (Hong Kong Association of Applied Linguistics) Conference, in Hong Kong SAR, China.
Conference Presentation & Award
Ma, Q., & Su, X. (2024). "Showdown looming in the Forbidden City—" A Corpus-based Study of Translanguaging Strategies Use by a Bilingual Chinese Author of English Fiction. In International Conference on Technology-Enhanced Language Learning and Teaching & Corpus-based Language Learning and Teaching 2024, in Hong Kong SAR, China. The Best Paper Award