Publications

Authored books

Zayts, O. (in preparation). Doing Discourse Analysis. Basingstoke [England]; New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (in preparation). Culture at Work: Exploring the role of culture in the
workplace and professional contexts.

 

Special Issues

Kang, M. A. & O. Zayts (eds.) (2010). Medical Communication in the Asia Context
Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2).

 

Journal Articles

Zayts, O. & S. Sarangi (fc). Bad news and good news: Risk and reassurance in telephone-
mediated counseling. Communication and Medicine (special issue on telemedicine, R. Wynn & S. Sarangi (eds.)).
Zayts, O., S. Sarangi & S. Schnurr (fc). The management of diagnostic uncertainty and decision-making in genetics case conferences. Communication and Medicine.
Pilnick, A. & O. Zayts (2015). Advice, authority and autonomy in shared decision making in antenatal screening: The importance of context. Sociology of Health and Illness.
Bridges, S., P. Drew, O. Zayts, C. McGrath, KYC Yiu, HM Wong, TKF Au & BHY Chung (2015). Interpreter-mediated Dentistry. Social Science and Medicine.
Schnurr, S., D. van de Mieroop & O. Zayts (2014). Positioning oneself in relation to larger collectivities in expatriates' workplace narratives. Narrative Inquiry, 24(2): 386–407.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2014). More than "information provider" and "counselor": Constructing and negotiating roles and identities of nurses in genetic counseling sessions. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 18(3): 345–369.
Pilnick, A. & O. Zayts (2014). "It's just a likelihood": Uncertainty as topic and resource in
conveying "positive" results in an antenatal screening clinic. Symbolic Interaction, 37(2): 187–208.
Yau, A. & O. Zayts (2014). "I don't want to see my children suffering after birth": The "risk of knowing" talk and decision-making in prenatal screening for Down syndrome in Hong Kong. Health, Risk and Society, 16(3): 259–276.
Zayts, O., S. Sarangi, M.-K. Thong, H.-Y. Chung, F.-M. Lo, S.-Y. Kan, M.-H. Lee, C.D. Padilla, E. M. Cutiongco-de la Paz, M.H.S. Faradz & P. Wasant (2013). Genetic counseling/consultation in South-East Asia: A report from the workshop at the 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Human Genetics. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 22(6): 917–924.
Kang, M.A. & O. Zayts (2013). Interactional difficulties as a resource for patient participation in a prenatal screening consultations in Hong Kong. Patient Education and Counseling, 92:38–44.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2013). "I can't remember them ever not doing what I tell them!" Negotiating face and power relations in "upward" refusals in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. Intercultural Pragmatics, 10 (4): 593–616.
Zayts, O. & S. Sarangi (2013). Modes of risk explanation in telephone consultations between
nurses and parents for a genetic condition. Health, Risk and Society, 52(2): 194–215.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2013). "[She] said: 'take the test' and I took the test". Relational
work as a framework to approach directiveness in prenatal screening of Chinese clients in Hong Kong. Journal of Politeness Research: Language, Behavior, Culture, 9(2): 187–210.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2012). "You have to be adaptable, obviously": Constructing professional identities in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. Pragmatics, 22(2): 279–299.
Pilnick, A. & O. Zayts (2012). "Let's have it tested first": Choice and circumstances in decision-making following positive antenatal screening in Hong Kong. Sociology of Health and Illness, 34 (2): 266–282.
Zayts. O. & S. Schnurr (2011). Laughter as a medical provider's resource: Negotiating informed choice in prenatal genetic counseling. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 44 (1): 1–20.
Zayts, O. & M.A. Kang (2010). Communication in healthcare settings: Interactional
perspectives from Asia. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2): 165–168.
Zayts, O. & M.A. Kang (2010). Information delivery in prenatal genetic counseling: On the role of initial Inquiries. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2): 243–259.
Kang, M.A. & O. Zayts (2010). Patient participation within a globalised patient population:
Interactional difficulties in a prenatal counseling context in Hong Kong. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2): 169–184.
Zayts, O. & M.A. Kang (2009). "So, what test do you prefer?" Negotiating politic behavior in
an L2 prenatal genetic counselling setting in Hong Kong. Journal of Politeness Research: Language, Behaviour, Culture, 5 (1): 33–52.

 

Book Chapters

Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (fc). When mother knows best: Nurses' struggle to uphold their institutionally assigned identity of knowledgeable expert and information deliverer. In S. Schnurr and D. van de Mieroop (eds.). Identity Struggles. Evidence from Workplaces Around the World. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (fc). Patient laughter as an interactional resource in an L2 context of prenatal screening in Hong Kong. In N. Bell (ed.). Language Play Series. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Zayts, O., S. Sarangi & S. Schnurr (fc). The management of diagnostic uncertainty and decision-making in genetics case conferences. In S. Sarangi & P. Linell (eds.). Decision-making Across Boundaries in Health and Social Care Professions. London: Equinox.
Zayts, O. & A. Pilnick (2014). Genetic counseling in multilingual and multicultural contexts. In H. Hamilton & W.-Y. Chou (eds.). The Routledge Handbook on Language and Health Communication. London, New York: Routledge, pp. 557–572.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2012). "You may know better than I do": Negotiating advice giving on Down Syndrome screening in a Hong Kong prenatal hospital. In H. Limberg & M.A. Locher (eds.). Advice in Discourse. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 195–212.
Zayts, O., V.Y. Wake & S. Schnurr (2012). Chinese prenatal genetic counseling discourse in Hong Kong: Health care providers' (non) directive stance, or who is making the decision. In Y. Pan & D. Gazdar (eds.). Chinese Discourse and Interaction: Theory and Practice. London: Equinox, pp. 228–247.
Pilnick, A. & O. Zayts (2012). "Let's have it tested first": Choice and circumstances in decision-making following positive antenatal screening in Hong Kong. In N. Armstrong & H. Eborall (eds.). The Sociology of Medical Screening: Critical Perspectives, New Directions. 1st edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., pp. 105 ¬–120.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2011). Be(com)ing a leader. A case study of co-constructing
professional identities at work. In J. Angouri & M. Marra (eds.). Professional Identity. Basingstoke [England], New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 40–60.
Zayts, O., M.A. Kang & W. Zhang (2009). Pursuing informed choice in prenatal genetic
counseling: a discourse analytic perspective. In R. Ma (ed.). 醫病溝通知多少 [How Much Do You Know About Doctor-Patient Communication?]. Hong Kong: 匯知教育出版有限公司 (KAI Education Publishing Co., Ltd.) (in Chinese), pp. 161–187.

 

Conference Papers

Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2014). Combining the macro, meso and micro in identity research in health care interactions. Thematic symposium "On micro- /macro-, written-/spoken and other analytical binaries. Towards unpacking theories and methodologies for the study of 'identity' in health care research", The 4th Interdisciplinary Conference Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice (ALAPP), Geneva, Switzerland. 10-13 September 2014.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2014). Narratives of identity struggles by ex-professional expatriate women in Hong Kong. The 47th Annual Meeting of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL 2014), The University of Warwick, Coventry. 4-6 September 2014.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2014). Decision-making about testing in intercultural genetic counseling encounters. The 12th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2014), Lugano, Switzerland. 26-28 June 2014.
Yau, A. & O. Zayts (2014). "We can't let it happen": Risk talk in telephone consultations between nurses and parents of infants with a genetic condition. The 12th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2014), Lugano, Switzerland. 26-28 June 2014.
Au Yeung, K-Y G., O. Zayts, S. Sarangi & B. Y-H Chung (2014). With others and for others: Accounting for decisions about genetic testing in the clinic. The 12th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2014), Lugano, Switzerland. 25-27 June 2014.
Yau, A. & O. Zayts (2013). Professional and parental responsibility in the management of risk in children affected by a genetic disorder. The 12th International Conference of the International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC 2013), Hong Kong. 29 November-1 December 2013.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2013). "What I say people do". Stereotypes and realities about doing leadership in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. The 12th International Conference of the International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC 2013), Hong Kong. 29 November-1 December 2013.
Pilnick, A. & O. Zayts (2013). Advice, authority and autonomy in shared decision making in antenatal screening: The importance of context. BSA Medical Sociology Group 45th Annual Conference 2013, University of York, UK. 11-13 September 2013.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2013). Negotiating the identities of allied healthcare professionals in
the age of 'superdiversity' in healthcare. Panel: "Fighting for a place in the workplace: Western and non-western perspectives on the discursive construction, negotiation and legitimization of 'valid' identities". The 13th International Pragmatics Conference, New Delhi, India. 8-13 September 2013.
Schnurr, S., O. Zayts & D. van de Mieroop (2013). Exploring tensions between
different levels of identity construction in the narratives of expatriates living and working in Hong Kong. Panel: "Narrative pragmatics". The 13th International Pragmatics Conference, New Delhi, India. 8-13 September 2013.
Zayts, O. & S. Sarangi (2013). 'Treat him as a normal baby': Paediatrician's framing of
parental responsibility as advice in the management of a genetic condition. The 11th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2013), Melbourne, Australia. 11-13 July 2013.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2013). Constructing and negotiating roles and identities of allied
healthcare professionals in the age of 'superdiversity' in Hong Kong. The i-mean 3 Identity and Language Conference, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. 18-20 April 2013.
Mok, WKY, YWY Chu, WHS Wong, PPK Ip, O. Zayts & BHY Chung (2013). What should be said and what should not be said? – Perception of parents and caregivers of individuals with Down Syndrome in Hong Kong on sensitive language in Cantonese used in healthcare setting. Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2013 of The Hong Kong Paediatric Society and Hong Kong Paediatric Nurses Association, Hong Kong. 8 September 2013.
Zayts, O. & S. Sarangi (2012). Bad news and good news: Risk and reassurance in telephone mediated counselling. The 10th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2012), Trondheim, Norway. 28-30 June 2012.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2012). The dynamics of family decision-making in intercultural prenatal screening. The 19th Sociolinguistics Symposium (SS19). Berlin, Germany, 21-24 August 2012.
Sarangi, S. & O. Zayts (2012). Self- and other-oriented reassurance in telegenetic counselling. The European Meeting on Psychosocial Aspects of Genetics, Nürnberg, Germany. 23-26 June 2012.
Bridges, S.M. & O. Zayts (2012). The "other" in the room: Mediated interpreting in primary
healthcare settings. The 10th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2012), Trondheim, Norway. 28-30 June 2012.
Zayts O. & S. Sarangi (2011). Modes of explanations in telephone genetic counselling for
G6PD deficiency. The 1st Interdisciplinary Conference on Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice (ALAPP), Cardiff, UK. 23-24 June 2011.
Zayts O. & S. Schnurr (2011). Advice-giving in antenatal screening for Down Syndrome in
Hong Kong. The 9th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2011), Nottingham, UK. 28-30 June 2011.
Yau, H.Y.A. & O. Zayts (2011). "So it's normal or abnormal?": Patients' perception of risk in
screening for Down Syndrome. The 9th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2011). Nottingham, UK. 28-30 June 2011.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2011). "I can't remember them ever not doing what I tell them!"
Negotiating 'upward' refusals in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. Panel: "From refusing to schmoozing: Investigating strategic roadmaps for negotiating conflict and rapport". The 12th International Pragmatics Conference, Manchester, UK. 3-8 July 2011.
Zhang, W., A. Chan, O. Zayts, M. Tang & WK Tam (2011). A study of discourse of
professionals in a medical laboratory in Hong Kong. The 12th International Pragmatics Conference, Manchester, UK. 3-8 July 2011.
Pilnick, A. & O. Zayts (2011). "This is just a probability": The interactional management of
uncertainty in conveying 'positive' results in an antenatal screening clinic. The 3rd International Conference on Conversation Analysis and Clinical Encounters, York, UK. 12-14 July 2011.
Chan, A., S. Schnurr & O. Zayts (2011). Revisiting face in Chinese business meetings in Hong Kong. The Sixth International Conference on Discourse, Communication and the Enterprise (DICOEN VI), Hong Kong. 8-10 September 2011.
Zayts, O. & V.Y. Wake (2010). Interactional triad in prenatal genetic counseling: paternal
involvement in the decision-making regarding genetic diagnosis. The 18th Sociolinguistics Symposium (SS18), Southampton, UK. 1-4 September 2010.
Zayts, O. & S. Schnurr (2010). Constructing cultural and professional identities in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. The 18th Sociolinguistics Symposium (SS18), Southampton, UK. 1-4 September 2010.
Zayts, O, C.P. Lee & S. Schnurr (2010). Prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong as a site for activity analysis: Re-establishing the importance of participant structure in intercultural encounters (panel). Colloquium: "Investigating prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong as a discourse and an activity type". The 8th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2010), School of Public Health & College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University. Boston, USA. 28-30 June 2010.
Wake Y.V. & O. Zayts (2010). Discourse structuring of factual information for presenting prenatal genetic testing options. Colloquium: "Investigating prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong as a discourse and an activity type". The 8th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2010), School of Public Health & College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University. Boston, USA. 28-30 June 2010. [Presenting author]
Yau, H.Y.A. & O. Zayts (2010). "Your test result is sort of, cut off… Higher than average": Delivery of positive screening result for fetal Down Syndrome in prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong. Colloquium: "Investigating prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong as a discourse and an activity type". The 8th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2010), School of Public Health & College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, USA. 28-30 June 2010.
Kang M.A. & O. Zayts (2010). "Early decisions" in prenatal genetic screening sessions: Negotiating the accomplishment of informed choice. Colloquium: "Investigating prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong as a discourse and an activity type". The 8th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine & Ethics (COMET 2010), School of Public Health & College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, USA. 28-30 June 2010.
Ho, K. W.Y. & O. Zayts (2010). "Maybe you are not interested in screening test but I
will tell you about it", or is non-directiveness attainable in prenatal genetic counselling of Chinese patients? The 5th International Symposium on Politeness, Basel, Switzerland. 30 June-2 July 2010.
Schnurr, S. & O. Zayts (2010). Constructing cultural identities in multicultural workplaces in
Hong Kong. Panel: "Identity in Organizational Settings". The Joint 10th ABC (Association for Business Communication) Europe Convention and the 2nd GABC (Global Advances in Business Communication) Conference, Antwerp, Belgium. 27-29 May 2010.
Zayts O. & S. Schnurr (2009). Developing ongoing and mutually beneficial partnerships with workplaces: A report of mixed experiences in providing feedback to participants. Symposium on English as the Language of Asian Business and Profession (ELABP), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. 5-6 Nov 2009.
Zayts, O. (2009). Language, medicine and culture: Researching healthcare discourse in
multilingual and multicultural contexts. The 11th International Pragmatics Conference, Melbourne, Australia. 12-17 July 2009.
Zayts O. & S. Schnurr (2009). "Organizations here are just not that interested in this" Or are
they? Negotiating ways of giving feedback to professionals in Hong Kong, BAAL CUP Seminar "Connecting Discourses: Academic and Professional Worlds", Warwick, UK. May 2009.
Zayts O. & S. Schnurr (2009). Laughter as medical provider's resource: Negotiating informed
choice in prenatal genetic counselling. International Conference on Laughter and Humour in Interaction, Huddersfield, UK. 24-25 June 2009.
Zayts O. & W. Zhang (2009). Laughter as an interactional resource in an L2 context: Evidence
from prenatal genetic counselling sessions in Hong Kong. International Conference on Laughter and Humour in Interaction, Huddersfield, UK. 24-25 June 2009.
Zayts O. & V.Y. Wake (2009). Being Nondirective or not? Bridging Theory and Practice in
Prenatal Genetic Counselling in Hong Kong. The 11th International Pragmatics Association Meeting, Melbourne, Australia. 12-17 July 2009.
Zayts O. & V.Y. Wake (2009). Being Nondirective or not? Bridging Theory and Practice in
Prenatal Genetic Counselling in Hong Kong, The 7th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics (COMET 2009), Cardiff, UK. 28-30 June 2009.
Zhang W. & O. Zayts (2009). Patient's understanding display in prenatal genetic counseling sessions. The 7th Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics (COMET 2009), Cardiff, UK. 25-27 June 2009.
Zayts, O. & M.A. Kang (2008). On the use of preliminary enquiries in non-native interactions: A conversation analytic perspective. The 9th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness (ALA), Hong Kong. 26-29 June 2008.
Kang M.A. & O.A. Zayts (2008). Challenges for communicating with a globalised patient
population: A look at prenatal counseling in Hong Kong. Partnerships In Action: Research, Practice & Training: Inaugural Conference of the Asia-Pacific Rim LSP and Professional Communication Association (APacLSP 08), Hong Kong. 8-10 December 2008.
Zayts O. & M.A. Kang (2007). Conversational strategies for pursuing the medical concern of informed choice: Evidence from prenatal genetic screening in Hong Kong. The 10th International Pragmatics Conference, Göteborg, Sweden. 8-13 July 2007.
Zayts, O. & M.A. Kang (2007). English as a lingua franca in prenatal genetic counselling in
Hong Kong. The Fourth International Conference on Discourse, Communication and the Enterprise (DICOEN IV), Nottingham, UK. 10-12 September 2007.
Zayts, O.A. (2006). Medical discourse in Hong Kong: An investigation of doctor/nurse-patient interaction in prenatal consultations. The 16th Sociolinguistics Symposium (SS16), Limerick, Ireland. 5-8 July 2006.
Zayts, O. (2005). Semantics and pragmatics of tautologies and pleonasms. The 9th International Pragmatics Conference, Riva del Garda, Italy. 10-15 July 2005.

 

Invited Scholarly Presentations

Zayts, O. & B. Chung (2015). "It is like throwing a dice". The management of 'extreme' uncertainty and decision making in the age of genomic medicine: The case of pre- conception counselling. Invited talk at the Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 30 March 2015.
Zayts, O. (2015). Researching multicultural genetic counselling in Hong Kong: Superdiversity in situ. Invited plenary talk at the Spring Symposium: Sciences of Learning, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 28 February 2015.
Yau, A. & O. Zayts (2014). Risk talk and decision-making in prenatal screening in Hong Kong. Invited talk at the 5th Hong Kong Association for Applied Linguistics (HAAL) Conference, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. 7 June 2014.
Zayts, O. (2014). Interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals and sociolinguists. Invited research seminar (panel discussion) at the Sciences of Learning Strategic Research Theme (SoL SRT) research seminar/workshop "Making interdisciplinary research work – thoughts from the field", The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 12 May 2014. (Other invited speakers: S. Bridges, L-K Chan & B. Chung)
Zayts, O. (2014). Interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals and sociolinguists. Invited lecture at the Knowledge Exchange (KE) Lunch Meeting organized by the KE Office, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 22 September 2014.
Zayts, O. (2012). Communication-based research on genetic counselling/consultations in
Hong Kong. Invited colloquium at the 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Human Genetics (10th APCHG2012), Kuala Lumpur. 5-8 December 2012.
Zayts, O. (2012). Genetic counselling for Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS): A discourse analytic perspective. Invited lecture. CEP Commissioned Training. Clinical Genetics for Modern Pediatric Practice, Hong Kong. 13 October 2012.
Zayts, O. (2010). Discourse analysis of genetic counselling communication. Winter Institute:
Promoting Healthy Communication. Invited lecture. eSRT Communication Disorders, Centre for Communication Disorders CCD, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 4 December 2010.
Zayts, O. (2010). "You may know better than I do when it comes to medical thing": Clients'
elicitations of advice in prenatal genetic counselling in Hong Kong. Invited lecture. 9th Asia Pacific Conference on Human Genetics (9th APCHG2010), Hong Kong. 30 November 2010.
Zayts, O. (2010). Advice giving in genetic counselling. Invited colloquium at the 9th Asia Pacific Conference on Human Genetics (9th APCHG2010), Hong Kong. 30 November 2010. (Other invited speakers: S. Sarangi, A. Clarke, C. Penn and T.-.M Wessels)
Zayts O. (2008). Informed choice in prenatal genetic counselling sessions. Health Communication Series: Enhancing Communication in Health Care. Invited lecture. Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong. 23 February 2008.

 

Papers Presented at Research Seminars

Zayts, O. (2012). Decision-making in multicultural professional discourse.
School of English, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Kang, M. A. & O. Zayts (2007). Recipient design in pursuing informed choice.
School of English Seminar series, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Zayts, O. & W. Zhang (2006). Conversation analysis and medical consultations.
Research Seminar Series of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Zayts, O. & W. Zhang (2006). Medical discourse in Hong Kong: An investigation of doctor/nurse-patient interactions in prenatal consultations.
Constituent Theme Funding Seminar Series, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Zayts, O. (2006). Medical concern of informed choice and patient concerns in prenatal screening for Down Syndrome: A conversation analytic perspective.
Research Seminar Series of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.