KSCB068 Language of Space in Chinese

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2016
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Wei-lun Lu, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Lucie Olivová, MA, Ph.D., DSc.
Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each odd Thursday 17:30–19:05 zrusena M12
Prerequisites
KSCA007 Chinese II
Basic knowledge of Chinese and English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is an introduction to studying the Chinese culture through the way the people use their language. Language is an indispensable part of culture, and Chinese is no exception. In this course, we will discuss the application of cognitive linguistics to investigating spatial expressions and idioms in Chinese, and how that helps us understand the way the Chinese language structures space in its speaker’s mind. The lecturer will introduce central concepts in cognitive linguistics, including metaphor, metonymy, categorization, schemas, and will help students apply the concepts to their own research on the Chinese language. In particular, Chinese has a wide variety of spatial terms, including 上, 下, 前, 後, 出, 來, 去, etc. These spatial terms constitute a substantial part of our daily use of the Chinese language given their relatively high frequency. However, the semantics of these spatial terms and often highly opaque and may pose difficulties to learners. Typical examples include 關上門, 閉上嘴巴, 愛上你, 迷上中文, etc. Nevertheless, cognitive linguistics is a useful analytical apparatus that can help make sense of the semantics of these spatial terms, and help our learning of a second language in a potentially systematic way. One session will be taught by an international expert, Prof. Laura Janda (Tromsø, Norway), who will introduce the current development of cognitive linguistics. Students are also encouraged to attend Cog Ling in Brno 2016 (19 October, Wednesday), a one-day conference on cognitive linguistics, in order to follow the state of the art in the field.
Syllabus
  • Session 1: Cognitive Linguistics in the 21st Century (in September, Lu) Session 2: Current Trends in Cognitive Linguistics (17 Oct, Janda) Session 3: The Language of Space: A Contrastive Analysis of English and Chinese I (24 Oct, Lu) Session 4: The Language of Space: A Contrastive Analysis of English and Chinese II (28 Oct, Lu) Session 5: What Can Translation Tell Us About the Chinese Language? (3 November, Lu) Session 6: Final Project Presentation (Lu)
Teaching methods
Seminar.
Assessment methods
Punctual attendance is expected, with one excused absence tolerated. An individual class project is required. Students need to present the project orally and to hand in a final written paper (10 pages for MA, 5 pages for BA). A bonus will be given to students who follow part of Cog Ling in Brno and hand in a summary. Participation and contribution to class discussion (20%) Oral presentation of final project (20%) Written final report (60%).
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
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