Bulletin Summer 1979

Chinese Language Research Centre The Chinese Language Research Centre was established in January 1979 under the Institute of Chinese Studies, with Professor D. C. Lau, the new Professor of Chinese, as Director. Aims The Chinese Language Research Centre aims to: (1) Conduct pure academic research on the Chinese language ； and (2) Initiate a series of applied research projects, with a view to helping to raise the standards in Chinese in schools. Research and Publication Plans (A) Short-term projects (1) To organize, in collaboration with the Extramural Studies Department, a Diploma Course in Chinese Language; (2) To publish a journal on Chinese language and language teaching; (3) To conduct studies on secondary school textbooks of Chinese language and literature; (4) To conduct studies on existing primary school textbooks of Chinese language; (5) To compile a Chinese dictionary for secondary school students; (6) To compile a Chinese dictionary for primary school students; (7) To compile a series of indexes on research materials on Chinese language, the first one being An Index to Zhong Guo Yu Wen compiled by Hui Lai-ping; (8) To produce cassette tapes of readings of secondary school prescribed texts in Chinese language and literature (in collaboration with the Extramural Studies Department); (9) To produce cassette tapes (with brochures) of standard Cantonese readings of characters in common use, with illustrations (in collaboration with the Extramural Studies Department); (10) To publish a handbook on correct forms for characters in common use; (11) To publish a series of monographs on Chinese language studies, the first one being An Encyclopedia of Chinese Characters in Bird and Animal Forms (B) Long-term projects (1) To conduct studies on the teaching materials and teaching methods of Chinese in primary and secondary schools; (2) To conduct Chinese grammatical research: (a) grammar of classical Chinese (b) grammar of modern Chinese (c) contrastive study of the grammar of Cantonese and pu tong hua (d) constrastive study of the grammar of Cantonese and English (3) To compile a dictionary of words in common use for the general reader; (4) To compile a dictionary of classical Chinese of the third and second centuries before the Christian era. 3