Linguistic Analysis of Trauma, Resistance and Rejection of the Status Quo in Fiction and Non-Fiction Discourse

Current Research Focus
Operating at the intersection of literary linguistics, discourse analysis, cognitive stylistics, and rhetorical studies, my research focuses on how language constructs and mediates experiences of trauma, resistance, and rejection of scientific norms in contemporary literature and discourse. Using a combination of methodological frameworks, my work investigates the linguistic strategies employed in literary and non-literary texts to represent complex interconnected psychological and social phenomena.

Current Research Projects: Trauma Studies and Literary Linguistics
One piece of my current research focuses on the linguistic representation of trauma in contemporary literature, with a particular emphasis on Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s The Discomfort of Evening (2020), examining how metaphorical language and cognitive framing devices construct trauma narratives. The paper was presented at the Annual Poetics and Linguistics Association Conference (Sheffield, UK, 2024), supported by a University Conference Grant (UCG/23/11, HK$15,000), and is currently being prepared for publication.

My research also extends to contemporary Hong Kong non-fiction, specifically examining Karen Cheung’s The Impossible City (2022), a political memoir that captures Hong Kong’s social transformation. This project analyses the linguistic strategies of trauma and resistance through code-switching, temporal frameworks, and the construction of collective identity in autobiographical political writing. The analysis focuses on how personal narrative intersects with political discourse in documenting Hong Kong’s sociopolitical landscape. This research has been submitted as an abstract to an international conference on trauma studies, extending the dialogue between linguistic analysis and trauma theory in non-fiction narratives.

Discourse Analysis of Pseudoscience
In a parallel research stream, I analyse the rhetorical strategies employed in pseudoscientific discourse, focusing on the works of popular new-age guru Joe Dispenza as a case study. This research examines how pseudoscientific claims are legitimised through specific linguistic patterns and rhetorical devices. The findings were presented at the Noon Research Forum at Hong Kong Shue Yan University (2024), and an extended version is currently under review for journal publication.

Research Impact and Development
Through these interconnected research streams, I aim to contribute to a better understanding of:

• How trauma is linguistically constructed and represented in contemporary literature
• The role of metaphor and cognitive framing in trauma narratives
• Key rhetorical strategies used in pseudoscientific discourse
• Linguistic manifestations of resistance and identity in autobiographical writing