Bulletin Special Supplement Ever in My Heart: Professor Ambrose King and The Chinese University

中文大學校刊 · 特刊 Chinese University Bulletin · Special Supplement 34 community worldwide. In the spectrum of knowledge at the university, English is the medium for the transmission of knowledge in most disciplines. This is especially true in the sciences. Given that present day economies and societies are knowledge-based, English has become the indispensable linguistic tool for creating and exploiting knowledge. This is why English is preeminent among world languages, while attempts such as Esperanto, despite its wide popularity during the early 20th century, have disappeared from university circles. Chinese is the language that gives identity to the Chinese people, and the embodiment of Chinese culture itself. It is the conduit through which one may enter the expansive realmof Chinese culture, in which one finds Chinese literature, Chinese art, Chinese history, Chinese philosophy, Chinese architecture, Chinesemedicine, Chinese religions, and many others besides. Undoubtedly Chinese is the essential language for Chinese academic studies, and a sine qua non in the development of Chinese-based ‘knowledge industry’ and ‘cultural industry’. The study of the Chinese language, and the ability to embrace it, is certainly worthy of the effort of an intellectual, even if he is a non-Chinese. In point of fact, Chinese is already becoming an international language with the emergence of China in the global community. My fellow zhongdaren , amodern educated person who lives in the present age of globalization has to have at least two languages at his command. Given the choice, Chinese educatedpersons living in Hong Kong will, in my view, choose Chinese and English as their two languages. Andwe may confidently say that the bilingual tradition of The Chinese University, having been in place for over 40 years, is a policy of great foresight andwisdom and one that deserves to be upheld most stead- fastly. Zhongdaren , it is with great joy and pride that I see you richly embedded in such tradition, and I wish you all the very best in your future endeavours, like eagles taking flight. o 化有承擔，而又致力於國際化的學 府，她一定會意識到行之有年的中、 英並重的雙語政策，在今日看，是更 有需要，更應加強了。 英語（文）是國際語言，是國與國間 最多共用的溝通語言，它是職業場上 的強勢語言；更是最重要的國際學術 語言，在大學的知識譜系中，大部分 的知識，特別是科學知識，皆以英文 為載體。在今日知識經濟，知識社會 的時代，英文是知識創造與運用不可 或缺的語文工具，這是為甚麼英語愈 來愈成為國際語言，而上世紀初葉風 行一時的「世界語」（ Esperanto ）卻 在大學中消失了。 中文（漢語）是中國人的身分語文， 是中國人文化認同的根源，它是中國 文化的載體，通過它，才能走進中國 文化的廣闊世界，裡面有中國文學、 中國藝術、中國歷史、中國哲學、中 國建築、中國醫學、中國宗教等等。 無疑的，中文是從事中國學術研究的 必要語文，也是發展漢語的「知識產 業」，「文化產業」不能缺少的資 源，即使一個非中國的知識人，中文 亦應是值得去學習擁有的。事實上， 中文已因中國的升起，日漸成為一種 國際性的語文了。 中大人，在全球化的新世紀，現代的 知識人至少應會兩種語文，香港的中 國知識人，如果今天對語文可有一次 選擇，我相信都會傾向選擇中文與英 文。中文大學實踐了四十多年的中、 英並重的雙語傳統，是有先見性的， 是值得堅持的。中大人，我為你們擁 有這樣的傳統感到高興與驕傲，我預 祝你們，鵬程萬里。 o