Exploring the Asian Corpus
of Bilingual Authors in English
Welcome to the Asian Corpus of Bilingual Authors (ACBA) Website, an online corpus-based research platform. Designed for students, educators, researchers, and the general public, this portal hosts a sample collection of literary works by bilingual Asian writers (Qiu Xiaolong and Adeline Yeh Ma). By utilizing the search function and analysis tools (including Word List, Keywords, N-Grams, Concordance, Collocates, and our latest version of cultural metaphor candidates extraction tool), you can explore how bilingual authors creatively adapt English to enrich world literature.
What you need to know before searching:
- Search queries are limited to a maximum of 10 words.
- The search targets the specific novel currently chosen in the Select our default corpus dropdown menu above.
- If you want to upload your own files or paste custom text for analysis, navigate to the Corpus Workspace page.
- Unsure what to search? Try typing some of our cultural keywords, such as: "falling leaves", "connections", "marriage", or "shuanggui".
Explore Our Core Research Areas
Discover the innovative linguistic research powering our platform
Translanguaging Strategies
Investigate the translanguaging strategies authors use to incorporate cultural elements with their narratives, categorized into five transcultural themes of 'Place', 'Classic Literature', 'History', 'Specialty', and 'Social Politics'.
Key Publications:
Cultural Metaphors
Explore how Cultural Metaphors serve as powerful rhetorical, cognitive, and intercultural devices. Uncover the meaning behind expressions like "Falling leaves return to their roots" in Adeline Yen Mah's narrative.
Key Publications:
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 Conference, in Hong Kong SAR, China.
Ma, Q., & Su, X. (2026). Falling Leaves and Foreign Roots: Cultural Metaphors as Intercultural Negotiation Tools in a Bilingual Author’s Narrative.
Linguistic Innovations
Discover how bilingual authors creatively adapt English, introducing novel lexical, semantic, and phrasal forms. See examples like direct borrowings ('shuanggui'), literal translations ('Dragon Well tea'), and creative proverbs ('Bamboo shoots after the spring rain').
Key Publications:
Su, X., Ma, Q., & Pérez-Paredes, P. (2026). Linguistic Innovations in Transcultural Literature by a Chinese Author: A Corpus Linguistics Perspective. [Accepted and waiting for publication]
Our 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 Search & Metaphor Extraction Workspace
Query pre-loaded corpora, examine word patterns, extract potential cultural metaphors, or upload your own texts in one unified workspace.
Select Corpus
Required for Keywords Analysis. A reference text helps identify statistically significant words in your target text.
Search in Corpus
Query a word or phrase in the active corpus to generate concordance lines and collocates.
How to use this Workspace
1. Select or Upload: Choose our pre-loaded corpus from the left or upload/paste your own text. 2. Analyze and Extract Metaphors: Click "Analyze Text", and then scroll down to the bottom section to investigate potential metaphorical patterns in the text (this step usually takes about 2-3 minutes). 3. Search Context: Use the "Search in Corpus" box to find a specific word and view its concordance, keywords, collocates, word list, and N-Grams.
No active search query
Use the "Search in Corpus" input box in the left sidebar to find matches and view them in context here.
Potential Metaphorical Patterns Extraction
Research Innovation Note
The items in the following three lists are NOT guaranteed to be genuine metaphors or cultural metaphors. They are potential candidates generated by our experimental extraction algorithms. This tool is an ongoing research innovation designed to assist researchers by automatically highlighting linguistic patterns that may require further human interpretation.
Metaphorical patterns extraction is run on custom uploaded texts. Try uploading a file!
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.
Translanguaging Strategy Explorer
This module breaks down the five key strategies Qiu Xiaolong employ to infuse the cultural elements into English narratives. See below to learn more.
Translanguaging Framework
Table: Themes and Cultural Keywords/Phrases
| Themes | Cultural Keywords / Phrases |
|---|---|
| Place-focused | Shanghai Dream; the Forbidden City; Da Yu Temple |
| Classic Literature-focused | Huang Teng Wine; The Dream of the Red Chamber |
| History-focused | Song Dynasty; Buddhist; Feng Shui; Wang Yangming; Lu Xun; Mao |
| Specialty-focused | Majesty (Cigarette); Supreme (Cigarette); Panda (Cigarette); Rice; Noodles; Tea; Bamboo; Crab(s) |
| Social Politics-focused | People; Housing; Connections; Character; Human-flesh search; Red; Bureau; Official(s); Committee; Cadre(s); Comrade; Corruption/ Corrupt; Netcops; Stability; Shuanggui/ Shuangguied; Socialism |
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