CUHK
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The inauguration ceremony of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) – Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) Joint Research Centre for Chinese Linguistics and Applied Linguistics was held in CUHK today (17 March). Officiating at the ceremony were Prof. Zhang Donggang, Director-General of the Department of Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (MOE); Ms. Tian Lixin, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Language Information Management of MOE; Prof. Cui Xiliang, President of BLCU, Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; and Prof. Li Lu, Director of the Education, Science and Technology Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.

Including the newly established Joint Research Centre, there are only two research extension units at national level in humanities and social sciences in Hong Kong. The first one, CUHK-Sun Yat-sen University Centre for Historical Anthropology, was also established in CUHK in collaboration with Sun Yat-sen University in 2010, showing CUHK’s research capabilities and achievements in humanities and social sciences.

The Joint Research Centre will share research sources, utilize the expertise of both institutions and provide an exchange platform for the researchers to strengthen the development of linguistics and other related disciplines. Prof. Sung said, ‘The Joint Research Centre is the second national research extension in CUHK, showcasing a joint effort of both institutions. We aspire to serve as a bridge to enhance academic exchange and promote research development in the Chinese language in the Greater China region.’

Scholars from BLCU and CUHK have been collaborating closely over past years in promoting researches on Chinese linguistics and applied linguistics as well as the development of prosodic grammar, the grammar of written Chinese and pedagogical (trinitarian) grammar. Riding on such strengths, the Joint Research Centre is established to further enhance the partnership of the two universities in the areas of linguistics and to construct a more systemized and solid research base across the regions. The Joint Research Centre is located at the Faculty of Arts, CUHK. Prof. Feng Shengli, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, CUHK and Prof. Sun Dejin, Center for Studies of Chinese as a Second Language, BLCU, have been appointed as the co-directors of the centre. The Joint Research Centre will deepen our understanding of the nature and acquisition of native language and second language.

The International Symposium on Chinese Language and the World, organized by the newly established Joint Research Centre, was held after the ceremony. It brought together scholars from the United States, Europe, South East Asia, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau in the fields of linguistics to exchange research findings on Chinese linguistics, second language teaching, acquisition and bilingualism, and to promote research and teaching in the field. The Symposium provided a platform for experts and students in the field from different parts of the world to share the research achievements in second language acquisition and bilingual education. Internationally renowned scholars are invited to deliver talks. Scholars from the local community are also invited to share their expertise.