Bulletin Number Four 1984

Applied Linguistics Seminar on 'Language Teaching in the Chinese Context' Professor Xu Guozhang speaking at the opening ceremony o f the A pplied Linguistics Seminar An Applied linguistics Seminar on ‘Language Teaching in the Chinese Context', sponsored by the Board o f Trustees o f Lingnan University and the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, was held by the Department o f English from 6th to 10th August. Indeed, it is appropriate for the University w ith an objective to integrate the Western and Chinese cultures to hold a Seminar 'which concentrates on two o f the world's most important languages- - Chinese and English, w ith a view to improving the teaching o f these two languages, and at the same time to promoting programmes which w ill equip students w ith the linguistic ability to deal w ith the best o f both worlds', as D r. Ma Lin, the Vice-Chancellor, pointed out in his opening address. The Seminar was attended by over sixty experts and scholars, including seventeen from China, one each from Australia and the United States. Local participants came from post-secondary institutions, the Britich Council and Government departments. Also speaking at the opening ceremony were Professor Xu Guozhang o f the Beijing Institute o f Foreign Languages, and Mr. Mark Sheldon, Field StaffDirector o f Yale-China Association and Associate Director o f the International Asian Studies Programme o f the University. The Seminar was held in ten sessions, covering the following topics: 1. Language Teaching: Past, Present, and Future; 2. Programme and Syllabus Design; 3. linguistics and the Teaching o f Grammar; 4. The Communicative Approach; 5. The Teaching o f lite ra tu re ; 6. Language Teaching: Methods; 7. Language Testing; and 8. Data-based Studies o f Second Language Learning. To enable fuller discussion on these topics, time o f presentation was lim ited to twenty minutes. Altogether fo rty papers were delivered. Speaking at the closing ceremony were Professor Zhang Zhigong o f the Curriculum and Teaching Material Research Institute in Beijing and Dr. Cheung Yat-shing, Senior Lecturer in English o f the University. Professor Zhang remarked that five days were too short a period to discuss in depth all the problems raised, however, the role o f language teaching in education, community life and social development had been recognized. He hoped that the Seminar would generate further research. Dr. Cheung observed that apart from the two-fold aim o f foreign language learning generally recognized, i.e. to acquire knowledge in the foreign language and to absorb foreign culture, there might be a third aim: to have a better understanding o f the foreign culture. The Seminar has been successfully concluded and it is worth noting that this was the first attempt that the teaching o f Chinese and the teaching o f English were put together for comparative studies. Participants all hoped that similar seminars would be held regularly and in itia l plans were to hold Applied linguistics Seminars annually in the following places in rotation: Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. The proceedings o f the Seminar w ill be published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., U.S.A. 2 NEWS