Dr. WAN Yau Ni Jenny
Assistant Professor
PhD in Applied Linguistics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
B.A. (Hons) Language Studies with Business, PolyU
Full Research Profiles and Academic Publications:
Courses Taught
Interdisciplinary Approach to English Studies
Guided Readings in English Studies
Discourse Analysis
English Usage I & II
MPhil Supervision
Honors Project
Research Areas
Digital healthcare and end-of-life communication
Scientific and ethical discourse
Heritage tourism discourse
Systemic functional linguistics (SFL)
Corpus-assisted discourse analysis
Core Research Interest
My research examines how language constructs and negotiates care, ethics, attitudes, and interpersonal meaning in digital and institutional discourses surrounding difficult human experiences.
Research Grants
- External Grants (Faculty Development Scheme, Research Grant Council Hong Kong)
Anticipatory grief in digital communication: Narratives in hospice care center websites and support group forums.
(Principal Investigator, 2026-2027, HK$512,476)
- Internal Grants (University Research Grant, Hong Kong Shue Yan University)
Research ethics in neurocognitive disorders: A corpus-assisted language study.
(Principal Investigator, 2026-2028, HK$29,525)
Comparing communication strategies on public hospice care websites in Hong Kong and the UK.
(Principal Investigator, 2024-2026, HK$12,352.50) (Completed).
Selected Refereed Journal Publications
- Healthcare communication and digital end-of-life discourse
(SSCI Q1; 5-yr IF: 3.7)
Wan, Y. N., Forey, G., & Zeng, W. (2026). Digital framing in end-of-life communication: Constructing “good death” support in the discourse of hospice care institutions in the UK and Hong Kong. Healthcare, 14(9), 1187.
- Scientific and ethical discourse
Wan, Y. N., & Li, W. O. (2026). Ethical positioning and interpersonal framing in pediatric neurocognitive research papers: A corpus-based discourse analysis. Ethics & Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2026.2717088 (SSCI Q2; 5-year IF: 2.5)
Wan, Y. N., & Li, W. O. (R&R) Discourse on social and psychological theory in heritage tourism. (ESCI, Scopus Q1: 5-year IF:3.5)
Wan, Y. N. (2026). Digital visitor discourse on massacre memorials: Appraisal and collocational analysis in family and school learning cont
exts. Cogent Social Sciences, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2026.2686011. (ESCI; Scopus Q1; 5-year IF:2.1)
Wan, Y. N. (2025). The evaluative language of dark tourism: Exploring visitors’ attitudinal meanings of Holocaust memorials. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2025.2541063 (SSCI Q1; 5-year IF: 6.0)
Major Reference Publication
Forey, G.,
Wan, Y. N., & Lockwood, J. (2026).
Language in call centers. In H. Nesi & P. Milin (Eds.-in-Chief),
International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (3rd ed., Vol. 8, pp. 72-79). Elsevier.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00387-2.
Selected Conference Presentations
- Health communication and hospice discourse
Wan, Y. N. (2026). “Grieving in the digital space: A systemic functional linguistic study of anticipatory grief in hospice narratives”. Paper at International Systemic Functional Congress 2026: Global Voices and Local Impacts: Advancing Language Education through Systemic Functional Linguistics, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong China, 11-16 July 2026.
Wan, Y. N. (2026). "Grief in words: Exploring emotional resilience in digital hospice narratives”. Paper at the International Conference on Human Resilience: Navigating Life Changes & Challenges (HRCONF2026). Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong China, May 27-30, 2026.
Wan, Y. N., & Zeng, W. H. (2026). “Digital healthcare discourse: A comparative study of public hospice websites across cultures”. Paper at Symposium on Language Science (ISLS) 2026: Interdisciplinary Research and the Legacy of Yuen Ren Chao, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong China, 8-9 May 2026.
- Ethical and scientific discourse
Wan, Y. N. & Li, W. O. (2026). “Ethical considerations in health and care research: Analyzing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) case reports in neurocognitive research”. Paper at International Systemic Functional Congress 2026: Global Voices and Local Impacts: Advancing Language Education through Systemic Functional Linguistics, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong China, 11-16 July 2026.
Wan, Y. N. & Li, W. O. (2026). “Research ethics in scientific writing: Ethical discourse in pediatric neurocognitive disorder studies”. Paper at Innovations in Language Education: Advancing Pedagogy, Practice, and Research, The Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES), The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Association of Hong Kong Language Centres (AHKLC), Hong Kong China, 2-3 June, 2026.
Academic Recognition and Professional Service
- Invited scholarly contributions
- Invited research development seminars
Wan, Y. N. (2026). “The ALPHA path: Structuring competitive FDS proposals”. Presentation at Seminar on CRFS 2027/28 Preparation, Research Office of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China, Jun 26, 2026.
Wan, Y. N. (2025). “From seed to fruit: Language features and cross-sectional linkages in the objective, impact statement, and budget of FDS grant proposal”. Presentation at Preparing Impact Statement and Budget for RGC’s CRFS for the 2026/27 Exercise, Research Office of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China, Nov 21, 2025.
- Invited research dissemination
Wan, Y. N. (2025) “Digital communication in dark tourism: Interpreting visitor narratives in China’s War of Resistance Museums and Memorials.” 「價值觀教育研討會」，香港樹仁大學田家炳孝道文化教研中心主辦 Hong Kong, China, Dec 21, 2025.
