Overview
I am Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies in MLANG and Dean of BNU-Cardiff Chinese College. Currently I also serve as the Deputy Chair and Trustee of the British Chinese Language Teaching Society.
Biography
I hold a BA in English (Hubei, China), a MA in TESOL and Applied Linguistics (UCL, UK) with distinction, and a PhD in Sociolinguistics (Tilburg, The Netherlands). In addition, I have obtained a PGCE in language (UCL) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Chinese as A Foreign Language (SOAS).
Prior to joining Cardiff in 2017, I held teaching and research positions in University of London (UK), KU Leuven (Belgium), Tilburg University and Maastricht University (The Netherlands).
Honours and awards
Most Inspiring Teacher Award (nomination, 2017-2018)
Outstanding Contribution Award (received, 2018-2019)
Professional memberships
- British Chinese Language Teaching Society (Deputy Chair, 2020-present)
- British Association of Chinese Studies
- International Pragmatics Association
- European Association of Chinese Teaching
- International Society for Chinese Language Teaching
Speaking engagements
10-11 July 2019, Coorganiser of the 4th International Symposium on Chinese Language, Culture and the Arts. Cardiff University, Wales. Co-organiser. Talk presented: Internet Celebrity Cultures and Learning Chinese on Social Media.
19-20 September 2018, Language Planning, Maintenance and Shift: Chinese and European Perspectives. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. Talk presented: Fangyan, Media and Governmentality: Performing Linguistic Citizenship in Globalising China.
10-12 February 2017, Inaugural Symposium of the European Association of Chinese Teaching: Challenges and Opportunities. Confucius Institute at Eötvös Loránd University and the European Chinese Language Teachers Association, Budapest, Hungary. Talk presented: Chinese Language Learning and Teaching in Dutch speaking universities: Contexts and Challenges.
17 June 2016, International Seminar: Teaching Business Chinese in Higher Education. KU Leuven, Belgium.
26-28 May 2014, ‘Beyond the Tyranny of Writing’ Workshop with Professor Florian Coulmas, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg. Talk presented: Engaging with normativity and innovativity: (re)writing Chinese in a global era.
23-24 January 2014, Globalisation in the Margins Consortium, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Talk presented: Globalisation in the margins.
22 September 2013, Workshop ‘Chinese linguistics in the Netherlands’, Leiden University, the Netherlands. Talk presented: Harmony as language policy: An internet perspective.
23-24 May 2013, Myths and Realities: Chinese Students, Teachers and Scholars Abroad, University of Helsinki, Finland. Talk presented: Which language? Which culture? Which pedagogy? Chinese teachers' perceptions of professional self in British schools.
21-24 August 2012, Colloquium ‘Margins vs. Megapoles: Globalisation and Sociolinguistic Transformation in Small Places’, Sociolinguistic Symposium 19, Free University Berlin, Germany. Talk presented: Designing Tujia: ethnicity, heritage tourism, and authenticity in China.
Publications
2020
- Chung, E. and Wang, X. 2020. Exploring Chinese poetry using Adobe Spark Video. Modern Languages Open 1, article number: 40. (10.3828/mlo.v0i0.290)
- Wang, X. and Wu, X. 2020. WeChat-mediated simulation and the learning of business chinese. Modern Languages Open 1(42), pp. 1-13. (10.3828/mlo.v0i0.300)
- Wang, X. 2020. Chronotopes and heritage authenticity: The case of the Tujia in China. In: Kroon, S. and Swanenberg, J. eds. Chronotopic Identity Work: Sociolinguistic Analyses of Cultural and Linguistic Phenomena in Time and Space. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, pp. 105-127.
2018
- Wang, X. 2018. Consuming English in rural China: lookalike language and the semiotics of aspiration. In: Kroon, S. and Swanenberg, J. eds. Language and Culture on the Margins: Global/Local Interactions. Routledge Critical Studies in Multilingualism New York and Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 202-229., (10.4324/9781351244350-12)
- Wang, X. 2018. Fangyan and the linguistic landscapes of authenticity: Normativity and innovativity of writing in globalizing China. In: Weth, C. and Juffermans, K. eds. Tyranny of Writing: Ideologies of the Written Word. Advances in Sociolinguistics London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 165-183.
2017
- Wang, X. and Kroon, S. 2017. The chronotopes of authenticity: designing the Tujia heritage in China. AILA Review 30(1), pp. 72-95. (10.1075/aila.00004.wan)
2016
- Wang, X., Juffermans, K. and Du, C. 2016. Harmony as language policy in China: an Internet perspective. Language Policy 15(3), pp. 299-321. (10.1007/s10993-015-9374-y)
- Varis, P. and Wang, X. 2016. Superdiversity on the Internet: A case from China. In: Arnaut, K. et al. eds. Language and Superdiversity. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 218-236.
2015
- Yang, P., Tang, L. and Wang, X. 2015. Diaosi as infrapolitics: scatological tropes, identity-making and cultural intimacy on China's Internet. Media, Culture & Society 37(2), pp. 197-214. (10.1177/0163443714557980)
- Wang, X. 2015. Inauthentic authenticity: semiotic design and globalization in the margins of China. Semiotica 2015(203), pp. 227-248. (10.1515/sem-2014-0068)
2014
- Wang, X.et al. 2014. Globalization in the margins: toward a re-evalution of language and mobility. Applied Linguistics Review 5(1), pp. 23-44. (10.1515/applirev-2014-0002)
2013
- Wang, X. 2013. “I am not a qualified dialect rapper”: constructing hip-hop authenticity in China. Sociolinguistic Studies 6(2) (10.1558/sols.v6i2.333)
2012
- Dong, J.et al. 2012. Chinese in a superdiverse world. Presented at: Anéla 2012 Applied Linguistics Conference, Lunteren, Netherlands, 9-11 May 2011 Presented at de Jong, N. et al. eds.Papers of the Anela 2012 Applied Linguistics Conference. Eburon pp. 349-366.
2011
- Wang, X. and Varis, P. 2011. Superdiversity on the Internet: A case from China. Diversities 13(2), pp. 70-83.
- Varis, P., Wang, X. and Du, C. 2011. Identity repertoires on the Internet: opportunities and constraints. Applied Linguistics Review 2, pp. 265-284.
Teaching
I have served as the Programme Director of Chinese. I take the lead in designing both BA Modern Chinese and BA Chinese programmes and teach on a range of modules, including:
- Mandarin Chinese Language (beginners & intermediate)
- Specialised Chinese (advanced)
- Chinese Society and Culture
- Life in China: A practical guide
- Chinese Cinema
- Translation Theory and Methods seminars
I have also contributed to the teaching on MA Translation Studies and MA Global Cultures.
My research interests are interdisciplinary, covering areas such as sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, popular culture, digital communication, heritage studies and Chinese studies. I am particularly interested in understanding language use, identity making and social changes in China's globalisation. I also conduct research in second language learning and pedagogy with a focus on Mandarin Chinese. I welcome doctoral applications in these areas.
Supervision
Abigail Gascoyne (ESRC Collaborative DTP Scholarship)