Bulletin Vol. 6 No. 2 Oct 1969

Dr. L i n is a writer of world renown, but many may overlook the fac t that he is also a linguistics expert. He studied linguistics at Harvard and Leipzig in his studen t days and was Professor of Linguistics in the Nationa l Peking University in the nineteen twenties and Researc h Fellow in Linguistics in the Academia Sinic a in the thirties. He is the inventor of the Chinese index system and has been a collaborator in the Official Romanization. Thus Dr. L i n is uniquely qualified to be the Director of the Project. He conceives the dictionary in terms of "words" which are ordinarily treated as "characters". T o Dr. L i n, the "word" may contain several characters according to current Chinese usage and a "word" may be marked L L (Literary Language), Colloquial, Dialect, Slang, MC (Middle Chinese taken f r o m Sung lyrics, Yuan drama and M i ng an d Ching novels), etc. Such indications of different usages o f " w o r d s " w i ll be one of the distinctive features of the dictionary which make it different from all of its predecessors. Dr. L i n takes upon himsel f personally not only to determine what "words" to be included, but to translate them into idiomatic English. The dictionary will contai n about 9,000 characters and more than 100,00 0 entries or "words" . The first draft will be over 20,000 sheets in MSS. A l l of the Chinese characters are written by hand. After the first draft is ready, there will be a long process of meticulous checking and rechecking, to be followed by the preparation of a long introduction on Chinese language, a short discourse on grammar and levels of usage, and various tables for cross references. Dr. L i n himsel f calls the dictionary "a stitch-by-stitch work", to b e carried out steadily, patiently and painstakingly. The dictionary will be ready for the printin g press around the end of 1970. By then, to use Dr. Lin's own words, "the Chinese language will have received a linguistic treatment for the first time". It is expected tha t this desk dictionary w i ll become a handy referenc e work for all students of the Chinese and Englis h languages. After the dictionary is published, royalties up to the total cost of the project wil l be returned to the University for the purpose of developin g the activities of the Institute of Chinese Studies, established in November 1967, in which the Dictionary Project is one of the first research efforts. (picture in Chinese section) Co u n c il News New Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr. C.T. Yung, President of Chung Chi College, has been appointed by the Council Pro-Vice- Chancellor of the University for a term of two years with effect f r om 18t h October, 1969, in succession to President Y . T. Shen of New Asia College. The present system is fo r the three College Presidents of the University to serve by rotation as Pro-Vice- Chancellor. Dr. Yung was the first Pro-Vice- Chancellor when the Universit y was inaugurated in October 1963. New Council Member Dr. S.W. Tarn, Lecturer in Chemistry and Dean of the Faculty o f Science of Chung Chi College, has been appointed a member of the University Council to succeed Mr. Tsuf a Lee, who has served on the Council for the pas t two years f r om New Asia College. Op e n i ng o f t he T h e o l o gy B u i l d i ng of Ch u n g Ch i Co l l ege The Theology Building of Chung Chi College was officially opened on 31st October, the Founders' Day of the College. A t a ceremony presided over by Rev. Canon James Pong , Chairman of the Chung Chi College Theological Council, President C.T. Yung unveiled a plaque which gives tribute to the many churches and individuals wh o provided the funds for construction of the Building. The Right Reverend J. Gilbert Baker, Bishop of the Anglican Church, Diocese of Hon g Kong and Macao, led in a prayer of thanksgiving and dedication. A l l those present then toured the Building, which includes classrooms, reading room, offices , staff apartments and a hostel for 48 students. The Opening Ceremony an d Founders' Day celebrations began with a Thanksgiving Service in the College Chapel, in which Bishop T. Otto Nail of the United Methodist Church, Hong Kong and Taiwan, gave an addres s entitled "The Plus Sign of a Christian College" . Other activities included the annual round-campus-race, bal l games, lantern boat races, a charity fair, the 4th Music Festival Winners' Concert and a Homecoming Ball. L i b r a r y News University Library The University Library, which ha d been housed since its establishment in 1965 in an office building in downtown Kowloon, moved to the Benjamin Franklin Centre in Augus t 1969. Sufficient space — 4 —