The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures is proud to present a series of lectures “Chinese Language and Culture” this spring. The first lecturer is Dr. Yafei Li, a professor of the Department of Linguistics at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He will give a lecture entitled “Why does Every Part of Speech Behave Differently between Chinese and English” and explain how to reduce all these differences to a single variation between the two languages. Professor Li obtained his Ph.D. degree from M.I.T. in linguistics, and has devoted himself in this area for more than 20 years. The lecture will take place in 126 DeBartolo Hall from 4:30-5:30 pm, Friday, March 28th.
The second lecturer is Dr. Chih-ping Chou at Princeton University. Professor Chou is a well-known scholar in the fields of modern Chinese intellectual study and Chinese pedagogy. He will bring up a controversial debate in China during the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, that is, what holds China back? Right after the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, many Chinese intellectuals blamed Chinese characters for being the major culprit in holding China back. Professor Chou’s lecture will lead you to think whether the existence of Chinese characters was an obstacle for China’s progress. The lecture will take place in 140 DeBartolo Hall, 4:30-5:30 pm, Friday, April 11.
The series of lectures are co-sponsored by Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and the Center for the Study of Languages. Interested colleagues and students are welcome to attend.