Peking University Linguistics Research – serie

This book serves as an introduction to contrastive linguistics - the synchronic study of two or more languages, with the aim of discovering their differences and similarities, especially the former, and applying these discoveries to related areas of language study and practice.

This book serves as an introduction to contrastive linguistics - the synchronic study of two or more languages, with the aim of discovering their differences and similarities, especially the former, and applying these discoveries to related areas of language study and practice.

This book explores, analyzes, and compares the use of German and Chinese demonstratives. Discourse and textual uses of the forms are considered, as well as their locative and temporal uses. The author observes that in both languages the demonstratives can be used to refer to referents. However, she departs from the common assumption that proximal demonstratives refer to entities or places close to the speaker, while non-proximal demonstratives refer to entities or places far from the speaker. Having analyzed a representative sampling consisting of a German text and a Chinese text, the author argues that both German and Chinese proximal demonstratives can signal the meaning of HIGH DEIXIS in a system of DEIXIS in the Columbia School of linguistics framework, whereas their non-proximal demonstratives can signal the meaning of LOW DEIXIS. In addition, Chinese demonstratives can be used under more circumstances than German demonstratives due to the lackof articles in Chinese. The author also argues that Cognitive Linguistic analysis is more helpful for new language learners, whereas the Columbia School of linguistics may be better suited to advanced learners who wish to know more about the intrinsic differences between words with similar meanings and uses.This book aims to help German learners better understand the German reference system. Readers with a Chinese language background will definitely benefit more from the book, as well as Chinese learners with a German language background. For pure linguistic enthusiasts and multi-linguals, the book offers an extensive introduction to the Columbia School of linguistics, and can open a new horizon for learning a new language comparatively.

This book explores, analyzes, and compares the use of German and Chinese demonstratives. Discourse and textual uses of the forms are considered, as well as their locative and temporal uses. The author observes that in both languages the demonstratives can be used to refer to referents. However, she departs from the common assumption that proximal demonstratives refer to entities or places close to the speaker, while non-proximal demonstratives refer to entities or places far from the speaker. Having analyzed a representative sampling consisting of a German text and a Chinese text, the author argues that both German and Chinese proximal demonstratives can signal the meaning of HIGH DEIXIS in a system of DEIXIS in the Columbia School of linguistics framework, whereas their non-proximal demonstratives can signal the meaning of LOW DEIXIS. In addition, Chinese demonstratives can be used under more circumstances than German demonstratives due to the lackof articles in Chinese. The author also argues that Cognitive Linguistic analysis is more helpful for new language learners, whereas the Columbia School of linguistics may be better suited to advanced learners who wish to know more about the intrinsic differences between words with similar meanings and uses.This book aims to help German learners better understand the German reference system. Readers with a Chinese language background will definitely benefit more from the book, as well as Chinese learners with a German language background. For pure linguistic enthusiasts and multi-linguals, the book offers an extensive introduction to the Columbia School of linguistics, and can open a new horizon for learning a new language comparatively.

This is the first book of its kind that explains the basic concepts, theoretical foundations and systematic research of linguistic semiotics, so as to establish a well-founded framework for linguistic semiotics as an independent discipline.

This is the first book of its kind that explains the basic concepts, theoretical foundations and systematic research of linguistic semiotics, so as to establish a well-founded framework for linguistic semiotics as an independent discipline.

This book involves a variety of aspects and levels, including the diachronic and synchronic dimensions. Law profoundly affects our daily lives, but its language and culture can at times be nearly impossible to understand. As a comparative study of Chinese and Western legal language and legal culture, this book investigates the similarities and differences of both sides and identifies their respective advantages and disadvantages. Accordingly, it considers both social and cultural functions, and both theoretical and practical values.Firstly, the book addresses the differences, that is, the basic frameworks and disparities between the Chinese and Western legal languages and legal cultures. Secondly, it explores relevant changes over time, that is, the historical evolution and the basic driving forces that were at work before the Chinese and Western legal languages and cultures “met.” Lastly, the book elaborates on their fusion, that is, the conflicts and changes in Chinese and Western legal languages and cultures in China in the modern era, as well as the introduction, transplantation and transformation of Western legal culture.

This book involves a variety of aspects and levels, including the diachronic and synchronic dimensions. Law profoundly affects our daily lives, but its language and culture can at times be nearly impossible to understand. As a comparative study of Chinese and Western legal language and legal culture, this book investigates the similarities and differences of both sides and identifies their respective advantages and disadvantages. Accordingly, it considers both social and cultural functions, and both theoretical and practical values.Firstly, the book addresses the differences, that is, the basic frameworks and disparities between the Chinese and Western legal languages and legal cultures. Secondly, it explores relevant changes over time, that is, the historical evolution and the basic driving forces that were at work before the Chinese and Western legal languages and cultures “met.” Lastly, the book elaborates on their fusion, that is, the conflicts and changes in Chinese and Western legal languages and cultures in China in the modern era, as well as the introduction, transplantation and transformation of Western legal culture.

This book introduces the design and implementation of an assessment model for a new university-level English curriculum in China that aims at developing digital literacy skills.

This book introduces the design and implementation of an assessment model for a new university-level English curriculum in China that aims at developing digital literacy skills.

This book aims to illustrate and explain the “Cognitive Metaphorology” from experiential and cultural perspectives and highlights two prominent features of cognitive metaphor: multidimensionality and cross-sphere application.

This book is a current and comprehensive study that incorporates constructional frameworks to inquire grammatical metaphor of modality (MM) for more adequate description and explanation of grammatical metaphor. It conducts semantic analysis of MM via a refined cognitive model and investigation of its lexicogrammatical forms from corpus-based constructional approach. The result is a reliable and systemic record of MM in real use, coupled with theoretical refinement from a cognitive perspective to illuminate its ‘metaphoricity’ motivation. The constructional approach and methodology exemplified in this book provide fresh insights, rich data, and a feasible solution for the adequate description and explanation of grammatical metaphor phenomena and the form-meaning interactive complexity in modality.

This book is a current and comprehensive study that incorporates constructional frameworks to inquire grammatical metaphor of modality (MM) for more adequate description and explanation of grammatical metaphor.

This book provides a detailed description and a cross-dialectal comparison of the major dialects of Myanmar.

This book provides a detailed description and a cross-dialectal comparison of the major dialects of Myanmar. The fieldwork was carried out under very difficult conditions in Myanmar, which makes this material all the more valuable. Chapter 1 provides phonological and grammatical sketches of 8 major Burmese dialects, while Chapter 2 describes in detail the particular features of their repertoire of initial consonants, rhymes, and tones and remarks on their systems of particles. The Appendices are devoted to detailed lexicons of the dialects, largely based on the first author’s personal fieldwork. Each dialect is exemplified with approximately 1800 forms. Comprising by far the largest corpora of such data ever assembled in one place, the research on tonal systems presented in this book contributes significantly to the tone study of the world’s languages.

This book collects virtually all research perspectives on metaphor in the field of cognitive linguistics. For example, critical metaphor analysis, metaphor interpretation, metaphor experiments, neuro method, and so on are all explained in detail.

This book collects virtually all research perspectives on metaphor in the field of cognitive linguistics. For example, critical metaphor analysis, metaphor interpretation, metaphor experiments, neuro method, and so on are all explained in detail.

This book covers major topics in the Anglo-American tradition, including deixis, presupposition, implicature, speech acts, and (im)politeness. The book also includes a methods chapter that offers a hands-on guide for literature search, data collection, and data analysis.