Vijay K Bhatia
Biographic Data
| ID | 648832 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Vijay K Bhatia |
| GIVEN NAMES | Vijay K |
| FAMILY NAME | Bhatia |
| SIGNATURE | BHATIA V K |
| AFFILIATIONS | City University of Hong Kong |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7336-7426 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 42 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1983 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Taking Swalesian legacy forward: Evolution of genre analysis from textualization to contextualization
International Arbitration in the Digital World
Ideology and the contextualization of ancient Chinese judicial opinions
Legal genres are situation-sensitive and one same genre may take different structural and functional patterns according to the historical context within which it is situated. Judicial opinions of ancient China, for example, look like a totally different genre in contrast with the language of modern Chinese judicial documents. It is not uncommon that county magistrates’ (ancient Chinese judges) writing considerably downplays the task of reasoning …
Designing English for Legal Communication Programmes: Exploiting Legislative Genres
The structural format and rhetorical variation of writing Chinese judicial opinions: A genre analytical approach
As Chinese legal system follows a statutory tradition, the writing of Chinese judicial opinions is normally considered as an invariant sequential process of stating the law, presenting the fact, and finally providing the conclusion. The official ideology is further reinforced by the fact that Chinese judges need to follow various authoritative writing guidelines and templates prescribed by the official bodies of legal profession. This paper exami…
World Englishes for specific purposes: A multi‐perspective view
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) discourses largely involve participants from different linguistic backgrounds in terms of their regional, economic, and sociocultural settings. Moreover, due to the globalisation of trade and commerce across international borders, professional practices invariably involve multiperspective interactions and negotiations across a range of participants interacting with speakers of English as a second or foreign lan…
Analyzing interdiscursivity in legal genres: The case of Chinese lawyers’ written opinions
The traditional simplistic understanding of legal genre as homogeneous texts of legalese is recently confronted by researches focusing on the contextual aspects of legal communication, i.e. the production, circulation, and consumption of legal genres in diverse institutional contexts ( Candlin and Maley 1997 ; D’hondt and Van Der Houwen 2014 ). It is, according to these researches, more reasonable to think of legal genres as a hybrid combining th…
Trading Places, Creating Spaces: Chris Candlin's contribution to aligning research and practice
In referencing the title of Chris Candlin's (2008) plenary, this paper focuses on the continuing concern to align research and practice in applied linguistics, and more particularly in language for specific purposes (LSP) and professional communication. We examine how Candlin identified practices for trading places between research and practice and for creating synergies between them – and in so doing opened up new spaces for enquiry and understa…
World Englishes in professional communication
Communication in international professional contexts, whether in spoken, written, or digital form, often involves participants from a variety of contexts in terms of variations in their use of language and cultural norms, discourse strategies, and expectations of participating members of specific professional communities, and as such, invariably reflects a multi-norm rather than a mono-norm native model of language use. However, very little atten…
Interpreting law in socio-pragmatic space
Unlike any other form of professional communication, legal discourse, especially in a legislative context, is unique in the sense that it is full of contradictions. Firstly, it is highly depersonalized, as its illocutionary force is independent of any specific writer or reader, and yet it is meant to address a diverse range of audiences. Secondly, it is meant for ordinary citizens, but is written in a style that is meant only for legal specialist…
Professional written genres
Register, Genre, and Style by Douglas Biber and Susan Conrad
English for Business Communication
The concept of Business English has undergone some major shifts in the last few years because of a number of developments, such as advances in genre theory and the coming together of English for Business Purposes and Business Communication, inspired by the realization that there is a gap to be bridged between the academy and the globalized business world. Drawing on advances in the analysis of business discourses, especially in applied genre anal…
Legal discourse across cultures and socio-pragmatic contexts
Much of the work on legal discourse has focused on its construction, interpretation, and use with particular emphasis on either language or legal content; however, very little attention is paid to context, both socio-political as well as cross-cultural, although all forms of legal discourse, spoken as well as written, are applied and interpreted in the context of what Scollon refers to as 'sites of engagement'. Drawing on a number of legal contex…
Witness examination as interdiscursive practice
International commercial arbitration offers an interesting site for the study of witness examination as an interdiscursive phenomenon across professional, jurisdictional, linguistic and cultural boundaries. It is contentious not only because it is shared across two rather distinct practices, namely, litigation and arbitration, bringing together international participants, particularly stakeholders who carry their individual baggage in the form of…
Interdiscursive colonisation of arbitration practice
Interdiscursivity in professional communication
In recent versions of professional genre analysis, context has assumed increasingly critical importance, thus redefining genre as a configuration of text-internal and text-external factors. The emphasis on text-external properties of genre has brought into focus the notion of interdiscursivity as distinct from intertextuality, which is primarily viewed as appropriation of text-internal resources. Drawing evidence from a number of professional con…
Accessibility of discoursal data in critical genre analysis: International commercial arbitration practice
Critical genre analysis, especially targeting specific professional practices, crucially depends on the availability of discursive data from the professional practice under investigation, which is not always easily accessible. In this paper, I take up a typical example of this kind of difficulty focusing on an international initiative, in which I have been involved for the last several years, with collaboration from more than twenty research team…
Creative English and public relations in Hong Kong
This paper investigates employer perceptions of the nature and importance of the English language in public relations agencies in Hong Kong. Based on in-depth interviews with senior managers from eight Hong Kong-based public relations companies, it examines how the linguistic currency of English is used collaboratively in creative organizations. Findings suggest that English is used as the common language among transnational public relations work…
Creativity and accessibility in written professional discourse1
Recent work on genre analysis suggests that professional genres and professional practices complement each other, in that they are co-constructed in specific contexts. However, in most language-based investigations of intelligibility, accessibility, and creativity in the use and interpretation of professional genres, the emphasis has always been on the use of linguistic resources, in particular the use of formal properties of language, with very …
Comment 2
Genre analysis today
L'A. met l'accent sur l'importance de la dimension institutionnelle dans la construction et l'interpretation des genres. Il s'attache a demontrer quelques-unes des strategies communicatives que mettent en oeuvre differents discours : sortant du champ strictement litteraire, il envisage tour a tour le discours promotionnel (publicite, offres d'emploi, etc.), le discours academique (preface / avant-propos / introduction, articles scientifiques), ou…
Democratizing government decision-making: A study of public discourse in Hong Kong
The Power and Politics of Genre
Generic knowledge plays an important role in the packing and unpacking of texts used in a wide-ranging institutionalized socio-rhetorical context. If, on the one hand, it imposes constraints on an uninitiated genre to conform to the conventions and rhetorical expectations of the relevant professional community, on the other hand, it allows an experienced and established writer of the genre to exploit conventions to create new forms to suit specif…
Introduction: Genre Analysis and World Englishes
In recent years, discourse and genre analysis has established itself as an important field of study within linguistics having implications for applied linguistics, especially in the teaching and learning of languages, mass communication, writing research, language reform and a number of other areas related to professional and academic communication. However, a more recent recognition of variation in the use of English as a result of its global sp…
The Power and Politics of Genre
Generic knowledge plays an important role in the packing and unpacking of texts used in a wide-ranging institutionalized socio-rhetorical context. If, on the one hand, it imposes constraints on an uninitiated genre to conform to the conventions and rhetorical expectations of the relevant professional community, on the other hand, it allows an experienced and established writer of the genre to exploit conventions to create new forms to suit specif…
A genre-based approach to ESP materials
A genre-based approach to discourse analysis has great potential for the teaching of English for specific purposes (ESP), particularly for the teaching of business writing, where communicative intentions and strategies used to realize such intentions, in the context of complex interpersonal relations between the participants involved in the communication process, are considered very crucial. This paper takes the communicative intentions of the wr…
Creativity and accessibility in written professional discourse1
Recent work on genre analysis suggests that professional genres and professional practices complement each other, in that they are co-constructed in specific contexts. However, in most language-based investigations of intelligibility, accessibility, and creativity in the use and interpretation of professional genres, the emphasis has always been on the use of linguistic resources, in particular the use of formal properties of language, with very …
Introduction: Genre Analysis and World Englishes
In recent years, discourse and genre analysis has established itself as an important field of study within linguistics having implications for applied linguistics, especially in the teaching and learning of languages, mass communication, writing research, language reform and a number of other areas related to professional and academic communication. However, a more recent recognition of variation in the use of English as a result of its global sp…
Textual-mapping in British legislative writing
English legislative writing has long been criticised not only for its obscure, circumlocutious and tortuous syntax but also for its extreme linguistic conservatism. Its critics claim that, in spite of numerous governmental and social pressures, the style of legislative drafting has largely remained unchanged. However, some interesting attempts have come from within the drafting community in recent years to make their writing more readable without…
Interdiscursive colonisation of arbitration practice
Language of the law
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Witness examination as interdiscursive practice
International commercial arbitration offers an interesting site for the study of witness examination as an interdiscursive phenomenon across professional, jurisdictional, linguistic and cultural boundaries. It is contentious not only because it is shared across two rather distinct practices, namely, litigation and arbitration, bringing together international participants, particularly stakeholders who carry their individual baggage in the form of…
Creative English and public relations in Hong Kong
This paper investigates employer perceptions of the nature and importance of the English language in public relations agencies in Hong Kong. Based on in-depth interviews with senior managers from eight Hong Kong-based public relations companies, it examines how the linguistic currency of English is used collaboratively in creative organizations. Findings suggest that English is used as the common language among transnational public relations work…
Democratizing government decision-making: A study of public discourse in Hong Kong
World Englishes in professional communication
Communication in international professional contexts, whether in spoken, written, or digital form, often involves participants from a variety of contexts in terms of variations in their use of language and cultural norms, discourse strategies, and expectations of participating members of specific professional communities, and as such, invariably reflects a multi-norm rather than a mono-norm native model of language use. However, very little atten…
English for Business Communication
The concept of Business English has undergone some major shifts in the last few years because of a number of developments, such as advances in genre theory and the coming together of English for Business Purposes and Business Communication, inspired by the realization that there is a gap to be bridged between the academy and the globalized business world. Drawing on advances in the analysis of business discourses, especially in applied genre anal…
Legal discourse across cultures and socio-pragmatic contexts
Much of the work on legal discourse has focused on its construction, interpretation, and use with particular emphasis on either language or legal content; however, very little attention is paid to context, both socio-political as well as cross-cultural, although all forms of legal discourse, spoken as well as written, are applied and interpreted in the context of what Scollon refers to as 'sites of engagement'. Drawing on a number of legal contex…
The bilingual's orthodoxy in professional genres
World Englishes
Simplification v. Easification-- The Case of Legal Texts1
This paper is a preliminary attempt to investigate some of the possibilities of presenting academic legal texts to learners of English for Academic Legal Purposes (EALP) in order to develop in them a set of appropriate reading strategies to handle authentic unsimplified legal texts on their own.
Language of the law
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Textual-mapping in British legislative writing
English legislative writing has long been criticised not only for its obscure, circumlocutious and tortuous syntax but also for its extreme linguistic conservatism. Its critics claim that, in spite of numerous governmental and social pressures, the style of legislative drafting has largely remained unchanged. However, some interesting attempts have come from within the drafting community in recent years to make their writing more readable without…
English for Specific Purposes: An International Perspective
A genre-based approach to ESP materials
A genre-based approach to discourse analysis has great potential for the teaching of English for specific purposes (ESP), particularly for the teaching of business writing, where communicative intentions and strategies used to realize such intentions, in the context of complex interpersonal relations between the participants involved in the communication process, are considered very crucial. This paper takes the communicative intentions of the wr…
The bilingual's orthodoxy in professional genres
World Englishes
Language Simplification
Genre analysis today
L'A. met l'accent sur l'importance de la dimension institutionnelle dans la construction et l'interpretation des genres. Il s'attache a demontrer quelques-unes des strategies communicatives que mettent en oeuvre differents discours : sortant du champ strictement litteraire, il envisage tour a tour le discours promotionnel (publicite, offres d'emploi, etc.), le discours academique (preface / avant-propos / introduction, articles scientifiques), ou…
Democratizing government decision-making: A study of public discourse in Hong Kong
The Power and Politics of Genre
Generic knowledge plays an important role in the packing and unpacking of texts used in a wide-ranging institutionalized socio-rhetorical context. If, on the one hand, it imposes constraints on an uninitiated genre to conform to the conventions and rhetorical expectations of the relevant professional community, on the other hand, it allows an experienced and established writer of the genre to exploit conventions to create new forms to suit specif…
Introduction: Genre Analysis and World Englishes
In recent years, discourse and genre analysis has established itself as an important field of study within linguistics having implications for applied linguistics, especially in the teaching and learning of languages, mass communication, writing research, language reform and a number of other areas related to professional and academic communication. However, a more recent recognition of variation in the use of English as a result of its global sp…
Comment 2
Creativity and accessibility in written professional discourse1
Recent work on genre analysis suggests that professional genres and professional practices complement each other, in that they are co-constructed in specific contexts. However, in most language-based investigations of intelligibility, accessibility, and creativity in the use and interpretation of professional genres, the emphasis has always been on the use of linguistic resources, in particular the use of formal properties of language, with very …
Interdiscursivity in professional communication
In recent versions of professional genre analysis, context has assumed increasingly critical importance, thus redefining genre as a configuration of text-internal and text-external factors. The emphasis on text-external properties of genre has brought into focus the notion of interdiscursivity as distinct from intertextuality, which is primarily viewed as appropriation of text-internal resources. Drawing evidence from a number of professional con…
Accessibility of discoursal data in critical genre analysis: International commercial arbitration practice
Critical genre analysis, especially targeting specific professional practices, crucially depends on the availability of discursive data from the professional practice under investigation, which is not always easily accessible. In this paper, I take up a typical example of this kind of difficulty focusing on an international initiative, in which I have been involved for the last several years, with collaboration from more than twenty research team…
Creative English and public relations in Hong Kong
This paper investigates employer perceptions of the nature and importance of the English language in public relations agencies in Hong Kong. Based on in-depth interviews with senior managers from eight Hong Kong-based public relations companies, it examines how the linguistic currency of English is used collaboratively in creative organizations. Findings suggest that English is used as the common language among transnational public relations work…
Legal discourse across cultures and socio-pragmatic contexts
Much of the work on legal discourse has focused on its construction, interpretation, and use with particular emphasis on either language or legal content; however, very little attention is paid to context, both socio-political as well as cross-cultural, although all forms of legal discourse, spoken as well as written, are applied and interpreted in the context of what Scollon refers to as 'sites of engagement'. Drawing on a number of legal contex…
Witness examination as interdiscursive practice
International commercial arbitration offers an interesting site for the study of witness examination as an interdiscursive phenomenon across professional, jurisdictional, linguistic and cultural boundaries. It is contentious not only because it is shared across two rather distinct practices, namely, litigation and arbitration, bringing together international participants, particularly stakeholders who carry their individual baggage in the form of…
Interdiscursive colonisation of arbitration practice
Register, Genre, and Style by Douglas Biber and Susan Conrad
English for Business Communication
The concept of Business English has undergone some major shifts in the last few years because of a number of developments, such as advances in genre theory and the coming together of English for Business Purposes and Business Communication, inspired by the realization that there is a gap to be bridged between the academy and the globalized business world. Drawing on advances in the analysis of business discourses, especially in applied genre anal…
Professional written genres
Interpreting law in socio-pragmatic space
Unlike any other form of professional communication, legal discourse, especially in a legislative context, is unique in the sense that it is full of contradictions. Firstly, it is highly depersonalized, as its illocutionary force is independent of any specific writer or reader, and yet it is meant to address a diverse range of audiences. Secondly, it is meant for ordinary citizens, but is written in a style that is meant only for legal specialist…
Trading Places, Creating Spaces: Chris Candlin's contribution to aligning research and practice
In referencing the title of Chris Candlin's (2008) plenary, this paper focuses on the continuing concern to align research and practice in applied linguistics, and more particularly in language for specific purposes (LSP) and professional communication. We examine how Candlin identified practices for trading places between research and practice and for creating synergies between them – and in so doing opened up new spaces for enquiry and understa…
World Englishes in professional communication
Communication in international professional contexts, whether in spoken, written, or digital form, often involves participants from a variety of contexts in terms of variations in their use of language and cultural norms, discourse strategies, and expectations of participating members of specific professional communities, and as such, invariably reflects a multi-norm rather than a mono-norm native model of language use. However, very little atten…
Linguistics (26 works) · Sociology (26 works) · Computer Science (17 works) · Political science (16 works) · History (14 works) · Philosophy (14 works) · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies (13 works) · Law (13 works) · History (10 works) · Philosophy (10 works)