- Abortus
- Meertaligheid
- Sociolinguïstiek
- +2
Xue Dong
PhD Researcher in Applied Linguistics, focusing on cross-linguistic pain expression and healthcare communication
Over Xue
I am a PhD researcher at Ghent University in the field of applied linguistics. My academic background is in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, and my research interests lie at the intersection of cross-linguistic and cross-cultural studies, healthcare discourse, and multilingual communication.
My doctoral research focuses on pain expression in English and Chinese, with particular attention to how pain is linguistically constructed, interpreted, and communicated across languages and cultures. Drawing on culturally grounded concepts of pain in Chinese, including perspectives from Traditional Chinese Medicine, a central objective of my research is to contribute to improve health communication, especially in clinical and intercultural contexts.
Through this research, I aim to bridge linguistic theory and real-world healthcare practice, and to contribute to more culturally sensitive and linguistically informed approaches to pain assessment and communication.
Voor journalisten
Contactgegevens van Xue
Log in of registreer gratis als journalist om de contactgegevens van deze expert te zien. Met een werk-e-mailadres is je account meteen actief.
Werkervaring
-
Director of Operations
Opleiding
-
Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages
Onderzoek
When “A Bit Unwell” Means a Lot
“You dianr bu shufu” (有点儿不舒服), literally translated as “a little bit unwell,” is a very common phrase in Chinese conversation. The phrase sounds small, but it often carries more pain than it admits. In some contexts, speakers use the phrase as avoidance to downplay symptoms and postpone care. In other settings, the phrase is also a tactful opener to discuss suffering without shocking others (Goffman 1973; Brown and Levinson 1987; Gu 1990; Mao 1994). The downsizing process operates at three interconnected levels that involve language form, social value, and cultural history.