I am Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Center for Linguistics & Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. I obtained my PhD degree in 2013 from the National University of Singapore.
Research Interests
My areas of research cover Digital Communication, Multimodality, Critical Discourse Studies, Social Media, Science Communication, Cross-cultural Communication, Digital Literacy, Multiliteracies, English for Academic Purposes. I focus on exploring the complexity of how technologies impact how we communicate and interact through available modes such as language, visual design, hyperlinks, and animation. I adopt critical, diachronic and cross-cultural perspectives to investigate multimodal communication. I invite Ph.D., post-doctoral, and visiting scholars to join my research team focusing on multimodal communication. Please contact me via zhangyiqiong at gdufs.edu.cn (replace at with @).
International Experience
2022/11-2023/05 |
Fellow, China-U.S. Scholars Program (CUSP) Institute of International Education, USA |
2022/01-2023/05 |
Visiting Scholar, Department of Information & Library Science Indiana University Bloomington, USA |
2017/03-2017/08 |
Visiting Scholar, Westminster Professional Language Center University of Westminster, UK |
2014/07-2014/08 |
Guest Lecturer, Utrecht Summer School, the Netherlands |
2013/07-2013/08 |
Guest Lecturer, Utrecht Summer School, the Netherlands |
Education
Ph.D. |
National University of Singapore, 2008/08-2013/02 Multimodal Discourse Studies |
M.A. |
Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, 2002/09-2005/04 Applied Linguistics |
B.A. |
Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, 1998/09-2002/07 English for Academic Purposes |
Publications
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles in English
Zhang, Y., Herring, S. C., Tan, R., Zhang, Q., & Shi, D. (2023). From compensation to competition: The impact of graphicons on language use in a Chinese context. Discourse & Communication, 17(6), 764-783.
Zhang, Y., Wang, M., & Li, Y. (2021). More than playfulness: Emojis in the comments of a WeChat official account. Internet Pragmatics, 4(2), 247-271.
Wang, M., & Zhang, Y. (2021). ‘According to…’: The impact of language background and writing expertise on textual priming patterns of multi-word sequences in academic writing. English for Specific Purposes, 61, 47-59.
Adami, E., Al Zidjaly, N., Canale, G., Djonov, E., Ghiasian, M. S., Gualberto, C., Karatza, S., Lim, F. V., Pedrazzini, A., Pirini, J., Wildfeuer, J., & Zhang, Y. (2020). PanMeMic Manifesto: Making meaning in the Covid-19 pandemic and the future of social interaction. Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies. https://wpull.org/product/wp273-the-panmemic-manifesto-making-meaning-in-the-covid-19-pandemic-and-the-future-of-social-interaction/
Zhang, Y., & O’Halloran, K. L. (2019). Empowering the point: Pains and gains of a writer’s traversals between print-based writing and multimodal composing. Linguistics and Education, 51, 1-11.
Zhang, Y. (2018). Retailing science: Genre hybridization in online science news stories. Text & Talk, 38(2), 243-265.
Lin, S., van den Hoven, P., & Zhang, Y. (2018). Global advertising adaptation for Chinese consumers in the early 20th century: A semiotic approach. Signs & Media, 16(1), 84-107.
Zhang, Y., Machin, D., & Song, T. (2015). Visual forms of address in social media discourse: The case of a science communication website. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 10(2), 236-252.
Zhang, Y., & O’Halloran, K. L. (2013). ‘Toward a global knowledge enterprise’: university websites as portals to the ongoing marketization of higher education. Critical Discourse Studies, 10(4), 468-485.
Zhang, Y., & O’Halloran, K. L. (2012). The gate of the gateway: A hypermodal approach to university homepages. Semiotica, 2012(190), 87-109.
Zhang, Y., & Yang, R. (2004). Investigating the Interpersonal function in English advertising discourse. HKBU Papers in Applied Language Studies, 8, 1-17.
Manuscripts under Review
Zhu, Q., & Zhang, Y. (under review) Assessing multimodal composing in L2 writing classes: Tensions and impact. Assessing Writing.
Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, G., He, S., & Qi, J. (under revision) Are emojis language-like?: A quantitative investigation into emojis’ category, frequency, and position. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics.
Peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings
Zhang, Y., Herring, S. C., & Gan, S. (2022). Graphicon evolution on the Chinese social media platform BiliBili. Proceedings of the Fifth International Workshop on Emoji Understanding and Applications in Social Media (pp. 75-85), Association for Computational Linguistics.
Zhang, Y. (2010). The gate of the gateway - A multimodal comparison of two university homepages. In Y. Fang & C. Wu (Eds.), Proceedings of the 36th International Systemic Functional Congress (pp. 218-223). The 36th ISFC Organizing Committee.
Journal Issue
Dainas, A., & Zhang, Y. (forthcoming) Graphicons and Digital Media. Language@Internet.
Monograph
Zhang, Y. (2017). A multimodal discourse study of online science news: Synchronic and diachronic perspectives. Beijing: Science Press.
Textbook
Wang, M., & Zhang, Y. (Eds.) (2015). An integrated course of academic reading. Xi’an: Press of Xi’an Jiaotong University.
Book Chapters
Zhang, Y., Tan, R., E., M., & Tan, S. (2022) Defamiliarise to engage the public: A multimodal study of a science video about COVID-19 on Chinese social media. In S. Tan & M. E (Eds.), Discourses, modes, media and meaning in an era of pandemic: A multimodal discourse analysis approach (pp. 160-177). London & New York: Routledge.
Zhang, Y. (2019). Scifotainment: Evolving multimodal engagement in online science news. In C. Sancho Guinda (Ed.), Engagement in professional genres (pp. 243-258). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Zhang, Y., Machin, D., & Song, T. (2016). Visual forms of address in social media discourse: the case of a science communication website. In G. Bouvier (Ed.), Discourse and social media (pp. 88-104). London & New York: Routledge.
Zhang, Y., & O’Halloran, K. L. (2014). From popularization to marketization: The hypermodal nucleus in institutional science news. In E. Djonov & S. Zhao (Eds.), Critical multimodal studies of popular discourse (pp. 160-177). London & New York: Routledge.
Edited Collections in Chinese
Peng, X., & Zhang, Y. (Eds.) (2023). Halliday in the 21st century. Shanghai: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press.
Ran, Y., & Zhang, Y. (Eds.) (2016). Applied linguistics research (Vol. 2). Beijing: Higher Education Press.
Journal Articles in Chinese
Zhang, Y. (2019). The semiotics of hyperlinks: An analysis of its application in institutional online science news. Journal of Shaoguan University, 40(4), 81-86.
Zhang, Y. (2018). Developing a platform for sharing science information based on institutional online science news. Journal of News Research, 9(10), 13-15.
Zhang, Y. (2010). Developing critical thinking skills of English major students - English debating principles as guidelines. Journal of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 21(6), 105-108.
Zhang, Y., & Yang, R. (2009). The macro-structures of English research articles: Similarities and differences. Foreign Language Education (00), 84-90.
Zhang, Y. (2007). Problems and solutions in the compilation of PowerPoint slides among college English teachers. Journal of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 18(2), 109-112.
Manuscripts in Preparation
Zhang, Y., & Herring, S. C., Wu, Y., & Tan, R. Platform culturalization and de-subculturization through the lens of graphicon evolution: A contextually enriched approach.
Zhang, Y., Tan, R., & Djonov, E. Institutional discourse from tight and loose cultures: The case of university webpages about COVID-19.
Tan, R., Zhang, Y., & Dai, H. Visual exclusion: The controversial “misrepresentation” of the Chinese youth in Houlang. Invited book chapter to be included in Social Identities and Discourses in Chinese Digital Communication, London & New York: Routledge
Blog
http://blog.sciencenet.cn/u/scifotainment, with 1441125 visits by November 28, 2023.
Grants (as Principle Investigator)
International (total amount $25,900)
Professional Development Funds, China-US Scholars Program (CUSP), Institution of International Education, USA, $2,500, 2023-2024.
“Public engagement with science on social media in the U.S.: A multimodal and interactive perspective” (CUS2101000), China-U.S. Scholars Program, Institution of International Education, USA, $23,400, 2022-2023.
National (total amount $53,137)
“Interactions between graphicons and language in social media: Trends and mechanism” (22YJA740037), Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China, ¥100,000 ($13,983), 2022-2025.
“A multimodal comparison of Chinese and English online science news” (14CYY061), National Social Science Fund of China, ¥200,000 ($27,967), 2014-2019.
“A multimodal comparison of Chinese and English online news on China” (2014M550430), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, ¥80,000 ($11,187), 2014-2016.
Regional (total amount $60,126)
“The evolution of emojis in Chinese social media” (GD21CWY07), Guangdong Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science, ¥50,000 ($6,991), 2021-2024.
“Engagement in science communication through social media: A multimodal and interactive perspective” (2020WTSCX016), Department of Education of Guangdong Province, ¥50,000 ($6,991), 2020-2023.
“Developing an online platform for sharing science popularization information among universities in Guangdong Province” (2015A070704052), Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, ¥100,000 ($13,983), 2015-2018.
“A multimodal discourse study of online science popularization” (GWTP-GC-2014-05), Foundation for High-level Talents in Higher Education of Guangdong, ¥100,000 ($13,983), 2014-2017.
“A multimodal study of English online news on China” (GD113YWW02), Guangdong Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science, ¥30,000 ($4,195), 2013-2018.
“Fostering Multiliteracies Competence Among College English Instructors in China”, Guangdong Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, ¥100,000 ($13,983), 2014-2016.
Internal (total amount $1,957)
“Multiliteracies and college English teaching”, Pedagogical Research Grant, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, ¥4,000 ($559), 2013-2014.
“Functions of hyperlinks in online science news” (12Q28), University Research Council, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, ¥10,000 ($1,398), 2012-2014.
Awards and Scholarships (selected)
International
Recipient of the Fellowship of China-U.S. Scholars Program, 2022, Institute of International Education, USA
Finalist for Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar, 2020, the Fulbright Program, USA
(award canceled after nomination because the operation of the Fulbright Program in China in the academic year of 2020-2021 was terminated by an executive order of the US president)
Interactive Digital Media Institute Research Scholarship, 2008, National University of Singapore, Singapore
National
Recipient of the Chinese Government Scholarship for Study Abroad, 2021, China Scholarship Council, Ministry of Education, China
Third Prize Winner of National Mathematics Olympiad Senior, 1997, Chinese Mathematical Society
Regional
Outstanding Emerging Scholar Fostered by Guangdong Province in the “Thousand, Hundred, and Ten” Talent Project, 2014-2018, Department of Education, Guangdong Province, China
Outstanding Researcher with Overseas Background, 2013, Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of Guangdong Province, China
Graduate with Honor out of the graduates of Shaanxi Provincial Institutions of Higher Learning, 2005, Department of Education, Shaanxi Province, China
University
Second Prize Winner of Annual Research Excellence Awards, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
Teacher Excellence Award, 2017-2018, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
Recipient of the University Scholarship for Study Abroad, 2017, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
First Prize Winner of Annual Teaching Excellence Awards, 2007, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
Third Prize Winner of Annual Teaching Excellence Awards, 2006, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
First Prize Winner of Creativity in Teaching, 2006, Faculty of English and Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
Wenzhi Tang Outstanding Graduate Student Scholarship, 2004, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Outstanding Bachelor Thesis, 2003, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Invited Talks (selected)
International
Characters in images: Learning Chinese through stickers, Chinese Tiding Lecture Series, the Chinese Flagship Program, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington (USA), March 1, 2023.
Graphicon evolution in Chinese social media: Trends and impacts, Department of Information & Library Science (ILS) Colloquium, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University Bloomington (USA), January 20, 2023.
When a smile emoji doesn’t mean smiling: Learning Chinese through emojis, Chinese Tiding Lecture Series, the Chinese Flagship Program, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington (USA), March 30, 2022.
Coping with the online fatigue in post-pandemic classrooms: A social semiotic perspective, Vantage College Speaker Series, The University of British Columbia (Canada), May 3, 2021.
The same pandemic, different “PanMeMic”: COVID-19 in Chinese and American university websites, Multimodality Talks Series organized by the University of Leeds, University College London, and Stockholm University, March 5, 2021.
‘Towards a global knowledge enterprise’: University websites as portals to the ongoing marketization of higher education, Asian Faculty Workshop, Asian University Presidents Forum, Guangzhou, China, July 30, 2019.
Selling science online: Evolving multimodal discourse for science communication in Web 2.0, Westminster Professional Language Center, University of Westminster (UK), May 9, 2017.
Domestic
Why should high school teachers engage in research? Teacher Training Program of Maoming Bureau of Education, Dongguan, Guangdong Province, April 28, 2023.
Addressing challenges and resolutions in enhancing students’ English essay writing abilities for college entrance exams, Teacher Training Program of Dongguan Bureau of Education, Guangdong Province, May 11, 2022.
Fostering students’ critical thinking in high school English classrooms, Teacher Training Program of Dongguan Bureau of Education, Guangdong Province, December 21, 2021.
Institutional discourse from tight and loose cultures: A multimodal study on the pandemic sections from university websites. The Second Pearl Round Table on Multimodal Discourse Analysis, The Functional Linguistics Institute, Sun Yat-Sen University, October 17, 2021.
More than playfulness: Emojis in the comments of a WeChat Official Account, The 2nd Conference on Public Discourse Studies, International Association for Hallidayan Linguistics, October 23, 2020.
Improving academic communication quality and efficiency: Reversing the order of thinking in representation, Institute of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, December 5, 2019.
Effective science communicating in the digital age: Learning from science communication in the United States, Media Center of Xi’an Jiaotong University, November 12, 2019.
Scifotainment: Evolving multimodal engagement in online science news, The 13th Graduate Forum of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, December 7, 2018.
Discourse strategies in the evolving multimodal webpages of a science communication website, School of Journalism and Communication, Xiamen University, December 6, 2018.
Selling science online: Evolving multimodal discourse for science communication in Web 2.0, The Pearl Round Table on Multimodality, The Functional Linguistics Institute, Sun Yat-Sen University (China), November 26, 2018.
Retailing science: Genre hybridization in online science news stories, Practical Applications of Functional Linguistics & Discourse Analysis Lecture Series 2018, The Functional Linguistics Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, June 28, 2018.
A Multimodal Approach to Video Analysis, The 3rd GDUFS Forum on Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, December 1, 2014.
Engaging students with multimodal discourse in language teaching: A critical perspective, The 1st Multiliteracies Forum, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, June 14, 2014.
The invisible campus wall: Decoding the multimodal construction of institutional identity on university homepages, School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, March 20, 2014.
University
Enhancing information literacy: Exploring, comprehending, assessing, and expanding information, Library of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, October 19, 2023.
Strategies for securing grants: Research design and project implementation, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, August 29, 2023.
Resolving the conflicts between research and teaching, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, January 6, 2021.
Engagement strategies in public speaking, School of Interpreting & Translation Studies, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, November 5, 2020.
Analyzing a teacher’s embodied semiosis with the multimodal analysis video software, Lecture Series on Multimodality at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, November 30, 2018. (with Victor Fei Lim)
Crafting engaging academic presentations inspired by TED Talks, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, November 8, 2018.
Advancing the professional growth of college educators, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, July 8, 2018.
Pitfalls in classroom practices of English for Academic Purposes, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, November 9, 2017.
The unpublished stories of publications: Moving from daily observation to academic publication, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, April 3, 2014.
Exploring digital media: Opportunities and challenges in multiliteracies, Center for Teacher Development, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, March 27, 2014.
Conference Presentations (most recent)
Zhang, Y., Herring, S. C., Wu, Y., & Tan, R. (2024). Graphicon evolution in context: Trends and social factors. Paper to presented at the Annual Conference of American Association for Applied Linguistics, Huston, USA. March 16-19.
Zhang, Y., Herring, S. C., Tan, R., Zhang, Q., & Shi, D. (2023). Interactions between graphicons and language in Chinese social media: A diachronic investigation. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Multimodality (11-ICOM), London, UK, September 27.
Zhang, Y., Herring, S. C., Tan, R., Zhang, Q., & Shi, D. (2023). From compensation to competition: The impact of graphicons on language use. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Graphicons and Digital Media, Virtual Symposium, Jan 14.
Zhang, Y. & Herring, S. C. (2022). One graphicon deserves another: Priming effects in Bilibili comments. Paper presented at the Fifth International Conference of the American Pragmatics Association, South Carolina, USA. November 4-6.
Zhang, Y., Herring, S. C., & Gan, S. (2022). Graphicon evolution on the Chinese social media platform Bilibili. Paper presented at the Fifth International Workshop on Emoji Understanding and Applications in Social Media, Seattle, USA. July 10-15.
Zhang, Y., Tan, R. & Djonov, E. (2022). A multimodal analysis of institutional discourse about COVID-19 from loose and tight cultures. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of American Association for Applied Linguistics, Pittsburgh, USA. March 19-23.
Zhang, Y., & Tan, R. (2021). Defamiliarize to engage the public: A multimodal study of a science video about Covid-19 on Chinese social media. Paper presented at the 6th Forum on Applied Linguistics, Guangzhou, China. Dec 1-3.
Zhang, Y. & O’Halloran, K. L. (2019). Empowering the point: Pains and gains of an ESL writer’s traversing between print-based writing and multimodal composing. Paper presented at the Approaches to Multimodal and Digital Environments: From Theories to Practices, Rome, Italy. June 20-22.
Zhang, Y. (2018). Scifotainment: Evolving multimodal engagement in online science news. Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Multimodality (9-ICOM), Odense, Denmark. August 15-17.
Teaching
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China
As Course Developer and Instructor: Social Semiotics, Cultural Competence, Academic Writing, Intermediate Writing
As Instructor: Interpreting, Culture and Society of Western Countries, Writing Skills, Educational Psychology, News English Listening and Speaking, Comprehensive English, Learning Strategies, Communicative English
Teaching abroad
Utrecht Summer School, the Netherlands
As Course Developer and Instructor
Global advertising adaptation: A different smile, a different story (July-August, 2014)
Advertising global brands: The fascinating art of ‘glocalization’ (July-August, 2013)
Indiana University Bloomington, USA
As Guest Lecturer
ILS-Z 637 Information Visualization (January, 2023)
ILS-Z 701 Introduction to Doctoral Research in Information Science (December, 2022)
ILS-Z 514 Social Aspects of Information Technology (October, 2022)
ILS-Z 641 Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis (March, 2022)
Utah University, USA
As Guest Lecturer
CHIN 4281/6281 Introduction to Chinese Pragmatics (April, 2023)
Supervision of Dissertations and Theses
Ph.D. Committee Membership
Jingxin Jiang, “The use of metadiscourse and visuals in TED talks”, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore. (2019-)
Hui Huang, “Engagement in discussion sections of medical research articles” Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2020-)
Jingyi Huang, “Formality, power, and context: Exploring an interpersonal framework for vocative exchange in Mandarin Chinese”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2018-2021)
Junjie Hao, “Multimodal discourse analysis of online dictionaries”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2017-2020)
M.A. Supervision
Rongle Tan, “Multimodal comparative analysis of news from Chinese and U.S. university websites”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2018-2021)
Jiafan He, “A multimodal study of science popularization videos in Chinese social media”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2019-2022)
Yao Wei, “Cross-cultural comparative analysis of father visual representations in image banks”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2019-2022)
Minying Zhong, “Recontextualization in online health discourse”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2020-2023)
Huiting Dai, “A critical multimodal analysis of the representation of youth on BiliBili”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2020-2023)
Yanmin Wu, “Face saving with a doge face: Pragmatic functions of the emoji doge face”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2021-)
Yue He, “Engaging the public with science: Multimodal proximity in science videos”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2021-)
Xinlong Li, “Identity construction of medical workers in medical documentary: A multimodal critical discourse analysis”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2021-)
Xia Wang, “Multimodal construction of city images in TikTok”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2022-)
Meiling Xia, thesis title to be decided, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2023-)
Xi Lin, thesis title to be decided, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2023-)
Miaona Lin, thesis title to be decided, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2023-)
B.A. Supervision
Ying Li, “The public’s understanding of science and emoticon use in user comments in science communication on WeChat”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2018)
Wenyin Yang, “A study of user comments in health science communication in three WeChat public accounts”, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. (2018)
Service
Service to the Profession
Editorial Advisory Board Member
Discourse & Society. Sage (2024)
.Computers and Composition. Elsevier (2023-)
Multimodality and Society. Sage (2020-)
Designs for Learning. Open Access Journal (2022-)
Advisory Board Member, the 11th International Conference on Multimodality, University College London (2022)
Mentor, AAAL 2022 Conference Connections Program, Pittsburgh, USA (2022)
Founding Associate Editor, Language, Context, and Text: The Social Semiotics Forum. John Benjamins (2019-2020)
Reviewers for Journals: Discourse, Context & Media, Discourse & Communication, Critical Discourse Studies, Visual Communication, English for Specific Purposes, Text & Talk, Linguistics & Education, Higher Education, Journal of Pragmatics, International Journal of Communication, Pragmatics
Reviewing for Publishers: Bloomsbury, Routledge, Springer, John Benjamins
Service to the Community (selected)
Founding Team Member of “PanMeMic” (Pandemic Meaning Making of Interaction and Communication, https://panmemic.hypotheses.org/), a citizen semiotics collective initiated by a group of 31 multimodality scholars from around the world to create a forum where academics and non-academics can share their experiences, knowledge, and reflections on how the COVID 19 pandemic has affected online and offline communication (2020-)
Member of the Training Expert Database for the Improvement Project 2.0 of Primary and Secondary School Teachers’ Competence in Applying Information Technology of Guangdong Province (2020-)
Oversee and administer a WeChat Public Account titled “Multimodality” with more than 500 followers, focusing on promoting multimodality by translating current science news, sharing details about conferences, and broadcasting talks relevant to the topic (2020-)
