讲座：The Linguistic Mission – Making Sense of Language

The Linguistic Mission – Making Sense of Language

Prof. Meichun Liu 劉美君教授

Dept. of Linguistics and Translation

City University of Hong Kong

Date: Tuesday 6 December, 2016

Time: 16:15-18:00

Venue: Room 210 School of Foreign Languages

      The famous linguist T. Givón once said: “Grammar is everybody’s business.” (1993, Foreword). What, then, is grammar? This is an issue linguists have been debating about for decades. No matter what theoretical framework is taken, the main goal of linguistics is to describe and explain the grammatical properties, in a broad sense, that speakers of the same language share. To echo what Givón further stated, I propose that “Metaphorically and literally”, grammar – as musical form – must make sense!

      This research is done under the functional premise that structure is motivated by and derived from its semantic and discourse function. More specifically, I looked at the communicative functions of grammar and to explore the unique form-meaning associations that are characteristic of the different “personalities” of English vs. Mandarin.

      The research aims to answer the questions that have puzzled English learners and help them to make sense of the English grammar so that they can master the ‘English’ way of communication.