chinese linguistics personal statement

"My major is to Teach Chinese as a Foreign Language" - Personal Statement

whitney 21 / 38   May 20, 2011   #1 Requirement: submit a written statement explaining the purpose of their application and the focus of their academic interests. Applied Program: Chinese Linguistics and Language Acquisition My undergraduate major is to Teach Chinese as a Foreign Language, which contains courses like Introduction to Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Chinese Language Phonetics, Chinese Lexicology, Contemporary Chinese Language and Ancient Chinese. One of my academic interests is Chinese dialects. I enjoy listening to people talking in dialects, wondering what they are talking about and happy for the parts I can understand, which is one of the most exiting things in my life. My favorite Chinese dialect is Cantonese. In the very beginning, I love it because I love Hong Kong movies and love to murmur the speech in them----only some words and short sentences. In the university, I have the course of Ancient Chinese and learned some ancient Chinese phonetics theories. It is surprising that I can thought up three to five examples from Cantonese for every theory I learned, thanks for my pretty tiny Cantonese knowledge. Thus, I deeply feel that Cantonese is the living fossil of ancient Chinese. Another academic interest is to continue thinking up examples for the contemporary Chinese theories I am learning. The hobby opens a new way for me to understand and remember linguistics theories. Also, it fixes my shortage of having no dialects, because my standard Putonghua helps me to think up more examples more quickly than others. I wish to enter the graduate program in Chinese Linguistics and Language Acquisition in your university, because of the following three reasons. Firstly, it may advance me to teach Chinese as a foreign language which is my career ambition. Even though my undergraduate program now is teaching Chinese as A Foreign Language, the linguistics courses it offers are all taught in Chinese. When I am taking these courses, I am all too often wondering how to speak the items I encounter in English. Even though I am reading some linguistics publications written in English, most of them are only introductions to linguistics and I can hardly find books in certain specialized field, say phonetics and semantics and it is more difficult to find original vision of foreign scholars' works. I am deeply afraid that I cannot teach learners in early stages in English. Even though there are many other teaching methods, I would like to be able to teach in any method required in the future. Nevertheless, when I read the course list of your program, I am relieved because most of the linguistics courses I have taken in university will be taught in your program in English. Secondly, in undergraduate study I have done Field Work of Linguistic Surveys in the course of Introduction of Linguistics and a dialect investigation in Contemporary Chinese Language. But none of the two courses were closely related to linguistics general research and analysis methodology. I plan to do research in the future research program so I pretty need this knowledge. And your courses of Linguistics Research and Research Project will help me to fix this shortage. Thirdly, I apply for university in Hong Kong because I can acquire Cantonese there. I am preparing to apply for research program after the graduation from your program and the acquisition of Cantonese is very necessary for my research. Even though I can also refer to the language database and do investigation among the users of Cantonese, some knowledge of Cantonese will be necessary if I want to do research about it. Besides the intention to apply for research program, speaking Cantonese is my dream. Based on the statements above, I seriously wish that I may be admitted to this program in your university.

EricJ - / 48   May 20, 2011   #2 Editor comment: The story about movies in Hong Kong is interesting but does not really move the essay toward your goal of getting in. The wandering in the street listening to dialects may be a hobby of yours, but we hope that is really isn't the most fascinating thing you do. If it is, you need to make some more friends and get out a little more. ;-) The part about academic interests should tell what you intend to study, which you do at the end, but not too specifically. I am not sure of the conventions of applying for school in Hong Kong, so I may be wrong, but I would advise a simple and direct approach. Also, I'm not sure I would tell them that their program is a stepping stone to another one that you are applying for. It might be better to talk about the good things that you want to get from being in their program. Telling them that they are just a path to somewhere else is like telling a girl that you are dating her so that you can be close to her sister. It does not win you any points.

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A "Personal Statement" is an important vehicle through which you introduce yourself to a third party for a specific purpose - enrolling in a graduate school, applying for a scholarship, seeking an internship opportunity, or applying for a job. To write a good Personal Statement, the skills required are as delicate as creating Coffee Art - and practice makes perfect! The following sections will introduce key qualities of good Personal Statements. The recommended links provide both practical and user-friendly tips, samples/templates, and textbook resources on writing Personal Statements (i) for Academic Purposes; and (ii) for Career Purposes.

Essentials for Personal Statements

Effective Personal Statements can open the door to an interview, selection for admission to graduate schools, or even help you to secure a scholarship – but just remember "COFFEE ART"

Recommended Links for Personal Statements

• Brainstorming ideas Resources – from University of Winsconsin-Madison
• Outlining a Personal Statement – from Fullbright Scholarship Application
• Do's and Don'ts of Personal Statements (With Attribute Map, Accomplishment and Experience Table from from DePaul University.
• Foci for Your Personal Statements - from University of Indiana Bloomington
• Analysis of a Personal Statement Example
• Tips for Writing Oxbridge Personal Statements Tips for Writing Oxbridge Personal Statements
• 4 Top Tips to Show Difference

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How To Write A Personal Statement Letter: A Sample

Have you ever tried impressing somebody that you went to great lengths to get their approval? It’s the same way as writing a personal statement letter.

China Admissions supports international students throughout their application journey. During document preparation, a common question that always pops up is, “how do you write a personal statement letter?”

Before we share our best tips to write an excellent personal statement letter, it’s important that you understand the purpose of this letter and how it can increase your chances of getting accepted into your chosen university.

What is the Purpose of a Personal Statement Letter?

A personal statement letter is a promotional essay about yourself. Sounds so “out there”, right? But it’s true. This kind of letter is a reflective essay that showcases your own interesting story, and why you’re a great candidate to the course/university you’re applying to.

Contrary to what most students believe, admission committees actually scrutinize every applicant’s personal statement letter. Although they consider other credentials, the personal statement letter has weight in identifying worthy applicants.

Best Tips To Write An Excellent Personal Statement Letter

We suggest you write in the format below. Make sure you emphasize the following:

• your background;
• why you want to apply to the program and;
• what you plan to do in the future and how it will help you.

Here’s a sample personal statement letter that you can follow:

Your Name Your Address Date University Name University Address Dear Sir/Madam, (Introduction) My name is <your name> from <your country> and I would like to to apply to the <program> at <your university>. A paragraph introducing your background, academic ability, and discusswhat makes you a strong candidate. A paragraph explaining why you are interested in the program and how you found out about the program. You can also mention people who helped you such as China Admissions or friends in China. Explain what you know about the program and what are the strengths of the program. Show that you’ve done your homework and that you understand the program and university. A paragraph explaining your future plans and career goals, how the program will help you, and what you plan to achieve in the future. (Conclusion) Briefly summarize the content of your letter. Thank the reader for taking the time to review your application (e.g. “I look forward to the opportunity to study at your university.”) Yours sincerely, <Your name and signature> <Your email> <your phone number>

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Meiqing Sun

[email protected]

Ph.D., Senior Lecturer of Chinese Studies, Chinese Program Coordinator

Ph.D., Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China

Curriculum Vitae

Research/ Teaching Interests

• Second language acquisition
• Language teaching and pedagogy
• Language contact and language development
• Syntactic theory
• Cognitive linguistics
• Corpus linguistics

Personal Statement

Meiqing Sun holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China. Her dissertation was a comprehensive study of possible syntactic influence from Mongolian language to Chinese language through language contact. She joined UNCG in 2012. Before coming to UNCG, she had worked at University of Pennsylvania, Flagship Chinese program at University of Mississippi and Duke University. Her research interests include second language acquisition, language teaching and pedagogy, language contact and language development, syntactic theory, cognitive linguistics and corpus linguistics. She served as Interim Director of Chinese Studies from August 2016 to December 2017, in addition to teaching Chinese culture, literature and language and organizing extracurricular activities for students. She is also the founder and coordinator of Mandarin Corner and Chinese oral tutorial program and the Faculty Advisor of Chinese Student Association at UNCG.

Selected Publications

• Speak and Act: Beginning Chinese (Volume 2) Textbook and Workbook . MD: Phoenix Tree Publishing INC .
• Liu-Shu-Based Approach of Teaching Chinese Character in Teaching Chinese as A Second Language, Southeast Review of Asian Studies(SERAS) , volume 36: 37-57, 2014 (Peer-viewed)
• The Historical Change of “he”. Language Studies , Wuhan, China, 2:53-58. 2006
• “Syntactic Change in Chinese: On Grammaticalization”, by Alain Peyraube. In Fuxiang Wu, ed., Research on Chinese Grammar , Beijing: Commercial Press, 44-72. 2005 (Translation)
• On wei1, wei2, wei3 in Mashi Wentong. Oriental Forum , Qingdao, China, 2:62-67. 2002

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A Guide for Chinese ESL Students Personal Statements for College Applications

Personal Statements as a Genre

Most higher education institutes require a personal statement from their applicants. Most students like you have some experience in writing something that expresses your thoughts and experiences. However, a personal statement can be very different from a typical essay or paper you turn in to your teachers and professors.

First, we should talk about why colleges and universities want to see your personal statement. Even though Chinese students are known for their high grades and test scores, these numbers cannot really tell the administrator about who you really are. Yes, you are interested in Medicine. Okay, you’ve had a great internship. Oh, you also took a hundred AP classes. But, so what? There are also millions of other students who have similar numbers. All these numbers are simply a way to classify students into different score levels, but they do not highlight how you are different from others. Bekins, Huckin, and Kijak (yeah, I don’t know too much about them neither) are three scholars who studied administration processes for students applying for medical school said in their research paper: “We’re pretty certain from grade and test scores of an applicant’s abilities to succeed in med school. What we can’t tell from grades and scores, though, is whether the applicant will thrive in a medical career. That’s where the [personal statement] comes in.” (p. 58) Ideally, you should participate in an interview, where you can really showcase yourself, as a unique individual.

But, wait! Don’t forget you are very likely to be in China, attending those AP classes and laughing at math skills of American students. So, forcing the admissions staff to hear your story in person is a big no no. But what if you are in luck, and just happen to be in the States? Well, administrators would probably see your essays and personal statements before they ever meet you. So now, we have established why we should care about personal statements. They are the foundations from which others can learn about you and your values.

Hopefully, by now, I have sold you the idea that “personal statements are important”. But even if I have failed you, you may want to read a bit further until the mailman comes and picks up this book for return. Next, we are going to talk about what a personal statement is.

Technically, a personal statement “is classified as a type of ‘occluded’ promotional genre”, (p. 137), as defined by Yuan-li Tiffany Chiu. In layman’s, or normal people’s, terms, it basically means you are writing something to sell yourself as a desirable talent. Chiu also claims there is a relationship between the students and administrators, where students are outsiders of the academic community, while academics are the insiders. Under this premise, administrators will hold some expectations in evaluating students. However, students, being the outsiders, can be completely unaware of such expectations. The difficulties raised by this unawareness is even more significant for forting students.

One opinion presented by Lucie Shuker is the view that:

The personal statement, while not ‘untrue’, is nevertheless a fabricated account of the self – selected from many possible identity projections. The constant recording and evidencing of productivity therefore result in the individual producing behaviours for the very purpose of being recorded and judged (p. 227).

Put it in an easier sentence, personal statements are not lies, but truth told in a decorated way, in order to make oneself more marketable. In the next four sections, I will take you step by step in exploring your most marketable stories and how to tell them properly.

Common Problems Experienced by Chinese Students

Since most Chinese students, like you, have studied English from an early age, mostly from first or third grade in elementary school, I do not need to explain basic grammar rules or lead you step-by-step in writing correct sentences. In fact, you may have a bigger vocabulary base than I do (considering all the words you were forced to remember for the TOEFL and the SAT). However, there are three main problems involving accuracy that I need to cover for you to write better papers and essays in general as a Chinese ESL student.

• Word Choice

Even though China is possibly the largest English-learning nation in the world, only 7% of Chinese report “that they ‘often’ use the language” (Bolton & Graddol, 2012, p. 7). Most students have never had the chance to use the language in a natural setting. So while Chinese students, aiming to study abroad in an English-speaking country, generally have a large word base, they misuse many words in the wrong setting.

One common mistake is that Chinese students tend to use unnecessarily complicated words, if they can. For example, if one looks up “词汇量“ in the most popular electronic Chinese-English dictionary, Youdao Dictionary , one would typically find a list of three words: vocabulary, word base , and lexical resources . Yes, it is nice to use words that no one understands, and idioms in your writing when you are writing in Chinese, because they simply look fancier. However, if you are trying to tell a very casual story, or even use it in a conversation you are recreating in a paper, no one, and I mean it, uses “lexical resources” in their daily conversations. Moreover, “lexical resources” is a very different term from vocabulary and word base, as it normally entails such database created in combination of multiple dictionaries.

Another mistake regarding word choice is somewhat mentioned above, trying to translate Chinese idioms into English. One of more extreme examples is: “人山人海”, which describes the large amount of people, being translated into people mountain people sea . Although many would be able to understand what it means, in formal writing, this type of misuse of language is not encouraged.

• Grammar Mistakes

Conjunctions are difficult for Chinese students because they entail a relationship between two ideas or objects. Due to the difference between two cultures, it can be incredibly difficult for students to use the correct conjunction. Some most notable mistakes are: “because” and “so”, and “although” and “but”. In the Chinese mindset, in order to transition from one idea to another, one would need logical connection words between the two. For example, “Because I wanted to apply for American colleges, so I studied English”. However, because conjunctions function not as mere transitions but also limited by its part of speech, there cannot be conjunctions in front of all independent clauses in a sentence.

The biggest mistake that Chinese students make with verbs is not changing the case according to its declension, especially in third-person present tense. It is extremely common to see an error in writing, such as:

*He become the new leader for his group .

It is important for Chinese students to understand that, even though there is no tense-related declension in Chinese, it is extremely important to never forget that -s and -es when using third-person present tense.

• Structural Mistakes

Chinese students tend to use such structure in wiring where they would always start with something extremely broad that tends to scheme through the entire history of the human race. For example:

People have been trying to discover the true meaning of life since the beginning of humanities. Aristotle once said… 

This is a typical opening of a piece of writing from a Chinese student. The cause might be their former education, as teachers instruct them to write and present the issue discussed more important and significant than they are. Or, it might just be students trying to follow whatever templet they have learned from language test training. After-all, I have remembered numerous quotes from famous philosophers, writers and scientists, just so I can use them when I’m writing in language tests.

A personal statement is a very unique style of writing as it is trying to sell you as a unique individual to the school and program that you desire. With that said, the best way to structure one’s writing is to choose the one that best reflects one’s personality, as well as to stand out from over thousands of personal statements. If you don’t feel as confident in writing in a free form, I would recommend you write in a similar style of lab reports. You should:

• Provide background information on your topic.
• Provide a description of what you did.
• Showcase your accomplishment.
• Discuss your takeaway and conclude.

Brainstorming

Coming up with initial ideas is the most significant step in the process of writing a personal statement. There are mainly two types of writers when writing personal statements, the ones who think they have nothing to write about, and the ones who think they have too much to write about. In this section, I instruct you on how to choose the right experience to write about and how to write about that experience.

Types of Experiences

In writing a personal statement, the best way to tell administrator who you are is to discuss it in terms of your own experience and use that story to entail your personality.

There are three main categories of stories one can tell:

• Personal Experiences: This type of experience involves anything that you have experienced in your daily life. Significant changes, sudden realization, hard times, good times, family issues and so on.
• Academic Experiences: This type of experience involves anything that you have experienced in your academic life. Deciding on your intended field of study, attending conferences, getting through a tough class, dealing with busy student life and such.
• Professional Experiences: This type of experience involves anything that you have experienced in your professional life. Discovering your career goal, starting your business, internship experience, volunteer experience and so on.

What Is a Good Story to Tell?

After you choose an experience that you think is worthy of telling following the framework above, you can then evaluate if it will benefit you in terms of marketing yourself.

The number one thing that you should consider is to try to focus on one key value or personality that you are trying to give impression to your school. Sometimes, students try to show schools with their full capacities in what is normally a 500-word essay. It is definitely not the most ideal way of writing a personal statement. With only about 500 words, one can barely talk about one event in detail, let alone covering others. You should try to only find one thing you can most reflect on from your story and that would most show your capacity as a student and a good fit for the program.

In her paper, Chiu showcased two criteria that administrators look for in a personal statement. One is “match” (p.141), meaning if you have shown your ability and capacity as a student to successfully engage and be part of the program. The other one is “fit” (p.142), which entails if the student is suitable for the program and that his or her values align with that of the program and school. For example, if you are trying to apply for Wake Forest University’s undergraduate degree, it might give you some extra boost if you write about your volunteer experience, since the school believes in the concept of “pro-humanitate”.

To be more specific, I want to introduce you to some of the suggestions made by Shuker in her research paper. In the article, she presents us with four types of orientations: “Engagement, Focus, Time, and Classification”. (Shuker, 2014) And she also introduces two takes on each orientation. Passive and active engagements, meaning if a person is taking an active role in the story, if one is following the crowd then he/she is categorized as passive. An internal focus paper reflects on self-reflection, while external gains comments from others. Retrospective vs Prospective just means if a person is actively marketing him/herself. In other words, if the outcome of your story is expected and planned, you are telling it in a prospective sense. Lastly, segregated and integrated classifications classify how dedicated a student is in turning his/her life in favor of future career or academic goals.

Here is a table I’ve made for you to look at in case if you find Shuker’s suggestions valuable and which orientations she seemed to like the most:

Table 1. Shuker’s Preference of Orientations

You should use her suggestions of how and what to include in a personal statement as a guideline of how you should tell your story and how to shape your story in such a way that will help you market yourself as a desirable student for institutions.

The most important exercise for preparation for writing a personal statement is to write short stories. These short stories should serve as experiments to find your own way of telling stories and engaging with the audience. You should take your time and write several different versions of one story, then compare which way fits best with your designated value that you want to show to administrators.

In this exercise, you should write at least one story from all three categories I have introduced to you above. From these three stories, you should try to write at least 3 versions of each in under 200 words.

Portfolio and Finalization of Your Personal Statement

You should be able to construct your own portfolio of three essays, each around or under 500 words. Choose from the best story from each of the three categories. Use these three essays in your future personal statement writing, and, if you are confident enough, use them as your personal statements. Here is a final checklist you should look at before you submit your personal statements to your dream school:

• Grammar Check
• Structure Check
• Story Check
• Orientation Check
• Proofreading
• Reading the statement out loud

Now, you are fully prepared for submitting your personal statement to your dream school and go get that offer!

Bolton, K., & Graddol, D. (2012). English in China today. English Today , 28 (3), 3–9.

Chiu, Y. T. (2019) ‘It’s a match, but is it a good fit?’: admissions tutors’ evaluation of personal statements for PhD study. Oxford Review of Education, 45(1), 136-150.

Ding, H. (2007). Genre analysis of personal statements: Analysis of moves in application essays to medical and dental schools. English for Specific Purposes , 26 (3), 368–392.

Jones, S. (2013). “Ensure That You Stand Out from the Crowd”: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Personal Statements according to Applicants’ School Type. Comparative Education Review , 57 (3), 397–423.

Khan, Q. (2019, April 18). China’s Education Industry On The Rise, And This Is Just The

Beginning. Retrieved December 5, 2019, from ttps://equalocean.com/education/20190418-chinas-education-industry-on-the-rise-and-this-is-just-the-beginning.

Li, Y., & Deng, L. (2019). I am what I have written: A case study of identity construction in and through personal statement writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes , 37 , 70–87.

Shuker, L. (2014) ‘It’ll look good on your personal statement’: self-marketing amongst university applicants in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Sociology of Education , 35:2, 224-243.

Trends in the Chinese Education Industry: Deloitte China: Global Chinese Services Group. (2016, May 5). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www2.deloitte.com/cn/en/pages/international-business-support/articles/trends-in-the-chinese-education-industry.html

Writing Guides for (Almost) Every Occasion Copyright © 2020 by Arthur Li is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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personal statement example

Language, with all its seemingly infinite variation, is still humanity’s clearest hope for communicating both the simple and the complex ideas that structure all of our lives. Through studying Chinese I hope to ultimately be able to play a role in aiding this communication process between those who do not share the same language. Chinese, like other languages, has been subject to a fascinating process of change and adaptation as the population has grown and spread across the region. As such, it offers an entry point for other Asian languages while also increasing in importance as China’s influence grows.

Having taken time to consider my academic abilities and interests before committing to undergraduate study, I have proven myself capable of achieving solid grades across a range of subjects. At school I not only pursued the study of language, gaining a GCSE in Spanish, but also studied various other subjects with a strong focus on communication, such as English Language, Literature and Drama. After leaving school, I undertook a GNVQ in Business Studies, before passing Access to Higher Education courses in both Science and the Humanities. Each of these has given me an excellent grounding in the transferable study skills necessary to perform to a high standard at undergraduate level, such as structuring and delivering projects within strict deadlines and essay writing. In addition, exploring a range of academic possibilities has fostered an inter-disciplinary approach that will allow me to successfully undertake each of the distinct aspects that constitutes the study of language, from linguistics to literature.

My interest in the Chinese language has also inspired me to pursue extra-curricular study. I regularly read books that provide an understanding of the basics of the language and will soon be starting a course in basic Chinese to ensure that I gain practice in both speaking and reading the language prior to beginning the subject at university.

Since leaving school I have undertaken a range of employment positions whilst pursuing further study. Most recently I have worked as a Ticketing and Information Assistant at the British Museum. This has offered the opportunity to interact with people from all nationalities and cultures and to attempt to find the best way to communicate information to them across language barriers. It has also raised my awareness of the development of language and culture through time, being surrounded by the preserved evidence of that process. I have also undertaken teaching for a busy riding school, again often interacting with tourists from a number of countries, as well as gaining experience of presenting to and managing groups of students, and taking responsibility for the welfare of both the customers and the animals. A parallel career in service industries, such as tourism and retail, has instilled in me an ability to think on my feet, to communicate effectively with all types of people and work well as part of team.

Outside of work and study, I enjoy a wide range of sports and outdoor activities, from horse riding and rock climbing to swimming and netball. I have proven to be a dedicated team player in many of these, gaining teaching and officiating experience. I also enjoy reading and writing and I find watching films from other countries is an easy and enjoyable way to hear the language I use as well as gaining a sense of the culture.

A hardworking student and employee, I have proven to be capable of turning my hand to anything. Alongside the flexibility and transferable skills this has engendered, I have discovered a passion for the study of language that ensures I am able to make a firm commitment to further study. Honing my ability to communicate and acquiring an awareness of the Chinese language and culture will allow me to combine my interests and aptitude with the knowledge necessary to achieve my goal of working as an interpreter.

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Master of Arts (MA) programme in Linguistics

• Master of Arts (MA) Programme in Linguistics

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Introduction

The Master of Arts Programme in Linguistics features an interdisciplinary approach to language study. It is designed to introduce students to current theories in linguistics and their various applications to language typology, language acquisition, language and modality, language teaching as well as culture and society, which are presented in a comparative framework. The programme consists of three streams, namely, (i) the General Linguistics Stream, (ii) the Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Stream, and (iii) the Sign Linguistics Stream.

The programme aims to:

• Help students develop sensitivity towards the complexities of language structure and use;
• Develop students’ understanding of the characteristic properties of languages that use the vocal-auditory channel (i.e. typical human language) and languages that use the manual-visual channel (i.e. sign language);
• Enhance students’ linguistic awareness regarding language development, language acquisition, and bilingualism.
• Equip students with methodological tools for the analysis of language structure, and for the empirical study on the dynamics of the teaching and learning process.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will achieve a theory-based and informed understanding of the richness of language structure, and of the major findings related to theoretical linguistics, the acquisition of the spoken and/or sign language, and bilingualism.
• Students will be able to conduct research with selected methodological tools used in the analysis of language form, language acquisition, and language performance, such as computerized corpora, naturalistic and experimental methods of data collection, data processing, and frameworks for analysis.
• Students will be able to approach a linguistic problem with a deep appreciation of the complex array of variables underlying language form, function, and meaning.

Programme Mode

The programme is offered in both full-time and part-time study modes. The full-time mode covers a normal period of one academic year while the part-time mode covers a normal period of two academic years. Students are required to complete a total of 27 units of courses. The numbers of required courses and elective courses differ from stream to stream.

• 1. Coursework requirements

A. Applicable to students admitted in 2022-23 and thereafter.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 27 units of courses for graduation.

1.    General Linguistics Stream

• 2.    Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Stream

1  Students may also choose to take all three courses in (i)(b), in which case one of them will be counted towards fulfillment of the elective requirements.

3.    Sign Linguistics Stream

2. Other requirements

(a) Student must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer the section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies. ( http://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/ )

(b) Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

A. Applicable to students admitted in 2018-19 and thereafter. I. General Linguistics Stream

II. Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Stream

   III. Sign Linguistics Stream

Remarks :  *   Not all semi-required courses or elective courses are offered every academic year

* Not all courses listed below are offered every academic year.

Applicable to students admitted in 2018-19 and thereafter.

LING5101 Foundations I: Phonetics and Phonology  ( A -Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )  ( B – Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )

This course introduces students to a unified approach to language as a complex structure represented in the minds of its speakers. Empirical linguistic data will be drawn across languages to enable students to understand the intimate relation between language and the human mind. On the basis of this understanding, students are led to explore the core areas of linguistics. The exploration starts with natural language sound systems and phonological components of grammar. These will be explained with basic concepts and recent theoretical advances in linguistic studies alongside new findings in language acquisition. Students will learn to apply these concepts and ideas to tackle linguistic problems.

LING5102 Foundations II: Syntax and Semantics  ( A – Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )  ( B – Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )

This course is taught concurrently with LING5101 Foundations I: Phonetics and Phonology, aiming at introducing students to the core areas of linguistics. Taking a modular approach to the language system, this course examines the morphological, semantic and syntactic components of the grammar, as well as the interaction among them. The lectures are intended to provide students with a solid grounding in basic linguistic concepts, which will enable them to tackle linguistic problems, and formulate their own analyses to prepare them for further studies in the discipline. A wide range of data will be discussed to develop students’ sensitivity toward linguistic phenomena with systematic properties in form, meaning and structure.

LING5103 Foundations in Language Acquisition  ( A -Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )  ( B – Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )

The acquisition of first language by children has been considered a remarkable feat. How do children accomplish this feat so rapidly and effortlessly? What are the stages they go through in mastering the different aspects of language? What does the development of language in children tell us about the human language faculty? These questions will be examined in light of modern linguistic theory, and nativist and interactionist accounts will be compared. Topics in second language acquisition will also be covered. Questions such as how interlanguage grammars develop in adults and the role of the mother tongue in the construction of interlanguage grammar will be addressed.

LING5104 Foundations in Sign Language Research  ( Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )

This course provides an introduction to a relatively new area of linguistic exploration: sign language as a natural language system. We will lead students into a variety of disciplinary studies that adopt sign language as a focus of research. Examples of these disciplines are linguistics, language in education, language and the brain, language and cognition, language development, language and society, and language and culture. The course aims to tackle these issues in light of the current developments in sign language research and see how they shed light on our understanding of deaf issues.

LING5201 Topics in Second Language Acquisition  ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

The course introduces major issues in the field of second language acquisition: how is a second language acquired by children and adults? In what ways is acquiring a second language different from acquiring a first language? Different theoretical perspectives on second language acquisition will be reviewed and methodologies will be surveyed. Data will be drawn mainly from English and Chinese as target languages.

LING5202 Topics in Bilingualism ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course discusses general issues in the study of bilingualism from the linguistic perspective. Basic questions such as how to define and measure bilingualism, degrees of bilingualism, and types of bilinguals will be examined. Psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic aspects of bilingualism at the individual and societal levels will be covered within the larger context of language contact. Issues in bilingualism such as code-mixing, medium of instruction, bilingual education and language policy for bilingual society will be treated with special relevance to the Hong Kong context.

LING5301 Linguistics and Language Teaching  ( Course Outline )

The course aims to highlight the relevance of linguistic studies to language teaching. Various pedagogical issues such as curriculum development, teaching methodology, language assessment, language development and professional teacher training will be discussed in light of theories of general and applied linguistics. Students are encouraged to reflect upon their language teaching experience and problems and seek an explanation from the perspective of theories and issues in general and applied linguistics.

LING5302 Approaches to English Grammar  (For students of MA in Linguistics only) ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course introduces students to various approaches to the study of English grammatical constructions. The approaches adopted may include formal, functional or cognitive perspectives. Students are encouraged to analyze grammatical constructions in terms of form-function relationships, cognitive processing and information flow. This course is designed to enhance students’ sensitivity to the interactive aspects of grammatical analysis.

LING5403 Topics in Language Acquisition of Deaf Children   (Not for students of the General Linguistics Stream of MA in Linguistics) ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course focuses on the language acquisition of deaf children, involving both sign language and spoken language. It starts with a general introduction on the acquisition of sign language as a first language by deaf children, covering the developmental milestones in phonology, morphology and syntax. The second part of the course will explore how deaf children acquire spoken language in the context of bilingual acquisition and spoken language literacy development. No prior knowledge of a sign language is required.

LING5404 Sign Linguistics   (Not for students of the General Linguistics Stream of MA in Linguistics) ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course provides a general introduction to the linguistic analysis of phonology, morphology and syntax in sign languages. It aims to demonstrate that the system of organization in sign language grammar reflects natural language properties and that sign language grammar is as complex and rule-governed as spoken languages. Focus will be placed on how the visual modality, availability of paired manual articulators, non-manual features as well as the use of signing space affect the organization of grammar at various linguistic levels. No prior knowledge of a sign language is required.

LING5501 Topics in Chinese Phonetics and Phonology ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4) (For students of MA in Chinese Linguistics & Language Acquistion only)

This course introduces general aspects of modern Chinese phonetics and phonology, including both segmental and prosodic characteristics. Students will be trained to compare and analyze sound patterns of standard Chinese and other Chinese dialects from different theoretical approaches. The final goal of the course is to provide students with a solid foundation for further phonological research.

LING5502 Topics in Chinese Syntax and Semantics ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4) (For students of MA in Chinese Linguistics & Language Acquistion only)

This course aims to acquaint students with fundamental issues in the syntax and semantics of the Chinese language and the related theoretical implications. Through an investigation of a rich array of data, students will have the opportunity to appreciate the inner workings of the Chinese language with regard to its structural and semantic properties, to enrich and broaden their understanding of linguistic theories and methodologies, to develop skills in analyzing Chinese phrases and sentences, and to defend their analysis systematically.

LING5503 Topics in Chinese Language Acquisition (For students of MA in Chinese Linguistics & Language Acquistion & Biligualism Stream of MA in Linguistics only) ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course aims to introduce the major tenets of generative and usage-based approaches to language acquisition, with a focus on the characteristics of the learner and the learning situation in first and second language. The course familiarizes students with the basic methodology and tools for analyzing acquisition data. It critically surveys the major findings on the acquisition of Chinese as a first language and as a second language.

LING5602 Special Topics in Linguistics  ( Course Outline Summer Session 2021-22 )

From time to time, a course focusing on a specific area of linguistics that is not covered in the regular linguistic programme may be offered. Students are allowed to take this course more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take the course under the same topic twice.

LING5604 Topics in Sociolinguistics  ( Course Outline 2 nd  Term, 2021-22 ) ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course explores human language in the broader context of culture and society. How does language relate to culture and world-view? How does language interact with social structure, gender and individual identity? To what extent do men and women talk differently? How does language reflect relations of power and status between the speakers? The use of pronouns, politeness markers and other linguistic features will be examined. Exploration of these topics aims to enhance students’ awareness of language as a cultural phenomenon and sharpen their sensitivity toward the nuances of language use in relation to cultural complexities, with special reference to Hong Kong culture.

LING5606 Special Topics in Applied Linguistics    ( Course Outline )

This course introduces applied linguistics from interdisciplinary perspectives, including theoretical linguistics, psychology, sociology, and pedagogy. Issues discussed in this course focus on the interface between theory and practice, including translating theory into practice and using practice to build theory. Students are allowed to take this course more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take the course under the same topic twice.

LING5607 Topics in Psycholinguistics ( Course Outline 2 nd Term, 2023-2 4)

This course studies language as a cognitive system which interfaces with other subsystems of mind. Emphasis will be placed on linguistic properties rather than psychological mechanisms or various techniques in psycholinguistic studies. The principles and mechanisms that underlie speech perception, sentence processing and discourse comprehension, as well as structural factors in language production form the focus of this course. This course first examines the unique features of human languages and the biological foundations of language. It then explores the perception of various linguistic aspects (speech sounds, words, sentences and discourse) before touching on issues in language production. Major models of language production and perception will be introduced. After examining different aspects of our language competence, this course concludes with a discussion of language and culture. However, issues related to the origin of language and language acquisition will not be covered in this course. Students are expected to be familiar with the basic concepts in phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax.

LING5608 Language Disorders ( Course Outline 2 nd  Term, 2022-23 )

This survey course introduces non-clinical students to fundamental concepts of language disorders in pediatric and adult populations. Characteristics of primary language impairment, aphasia, dysarthria, and hearing impairments, as well as articulation, fluency, and voice and other related disorders affecting language are among the topics to be discussed. Diagnostic techniques and treatment strategies are also introduced. Research studies in language disorders will be reviewed.

LING5701 Linguistics Research  ( A -Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )  ( B – Course Outline 1 st Term, 2023-24 )

The course aims to train students in conducting linguistic research. General research methodology will be introduced, with a focus on methods commonly used in linguistic research and analysis. Students may be required to take part in field trips and expeditions.

LING5702 Research Project

This is an independent, individual investigation on a topic of linguistic interest guided by a supervisor, the findings of which must be presented in a standard report format. Consent of the teacher on the topic is required. Students who wish to take the course should obtain prior approval from the Graduate Division for their research proposals. Prerequisite: LING5701 Linguistics Research.

LING 5802 Research Practicum  The course provides students with an experiential learning opportunity through participating in faculty’s research projects, as a way to prepare themselves for postgraduate study in Linguistics.  Specific learning activities may include review of literature, preparation of experimental stimuli, data collection, data analysis and presentation of research findings

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Linguistics, Personal Statement Example

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My parents did not have higher education, thus, as a high school student in Hong Kong, I used to help my parents read and translate business letters. My family is in the electronics business and the growth of Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry has inspired them to seek growth in international markets for the first time. The success of international ventures doesn’t only depend upon business skills but also soft skills such as cross-cultural knowledge and language. Language is the window into a culture and acquiring foreign language skills gives one a competitive edge in the international markets.

My interest in linguistics has also been shaped by extensive international travels. I noticed that foreign language skills do not only help one expand his thinking horizon and improve understanding of the world but also help one secure goodwill and cooperation from the locals. I am also fortunate to experience a foreign culture as a local resident when I spent last year of high school in New Zealand. My goal in enrolling at Logan Park High School (LPHS) in New Zealand was to become more proficient in British English but I also ended up learning Latin and French. My linguistics education also helped me learn about the roots of English and French languages in Latin. For example, “amicus” in Latin is “ami” in French and “friend” in English. The realization that even languages who could not have been more different in sound and grammar, share roots only further sparked my interest in linguistics.

LPHS hosts “International Student Festival” every year in which I represented China and introduced participants to Chinese culture and basic linguistic rules. One of the things I realized during the festival was the difficulty of translating foreign words into Chinese language because either substitute words do not exist in Chinese language or any attempt to translate foreign words into Chinese results in quite unexpected meanings. Similarly, when translation attempts may be possible, Chinese terms are usually longer than foreign terms. For instance, “Pizza Hut” is “Bi Sheng Ke,” in Chinese which translates to “most certainly win in the house.” But the word “pizza” alone translates to “pi-sa” in Chinese. This realization also helped me understand why international marketers frequently make marketing mistakes in China and sometimes even have to change their original brand names in favor of a local version. This also demonstrates the close relationship between language and a culture. This is why I am determined to expand my linguistics skills because certain elements of culture can only be understood through local language.

My linguistic skills also helped me secure a position as a student helper at Diablo Valley College’s International Student Admissions and Services facility (ISAS) in Spring 2013. My responsibilities included providing information to students about visa and immigration issues. Students from countries as varied as France, Korea, and Indonesia would specifically seek my assistance because they claimed I could anticipate their concerns even without asking. I also used the experience to further advance my linguistic skills.

My experiences in the U.S. have also helped me better understand the role of language within a particular culture. I studied British English in New Zealand which is quite similar to American English but the differences are significant enough to create communication hurdles. In addition, the accents also vary across cultures and Middle East is a great example. Students from Saudi Arabia spoke Arabic in an accent and style that was quite different from Arabic language speakers from Morocco. Languages do not only serve as means of communication but also provide hidden meanings that are lost in translation. This is why my goal is to learn as many languages as possible and I hope University of California will provide me with education that helps me bridge gaps between cultures.

One of the traits I am particularly proud of is my willingness to embrace new experiences. As a child, I was shy and reserve and mostly kept to myself. I didn’t trust others to really understand me and the idea of being judged also prevented me from opening myself to others. My father understood the importance of social interaction and skills, thus, he started bringing me to business events to acquire social and communication skills. It was not easy at first but I started realizing it is difficult to exist in isolation because we need others in life sometimes whether in personal or professional matters. But as I became better at communication and social skills, my hesitation started disappearing.

The biggest influence on me in my journey towards embracing the outside world was a high school teacher who referred to Forrest Gump, “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” She helped me realize life is full of tests which are meant to measure our true potential and successfully passing each test gives us a renewed sense of pride and self-confidence. She taught me that even failures carry valuable lessons and education takes place everywhere, even in the seemingly ordinary events in life. She encouraged me to embrace new experiences even if they may not appeal to me because only by stepping outside our comfort zones do we expand our perspectives and thinking horizon.

Another trait I am proud of is my willingness to embrace challenges and try to overcome them. My experiences in life have taught me we put in our best efforts and push ourselves to the limit only when faced with difficult challenges. Challenges may scare us but there are also essential for our personal growth. Learning new languages is not an easy task but I am determined in order to make the most out of my future international travels. I have no doubt it will open numerous career paths for me because national boundaries are becoming insignificant and interaction among cultures will continue to grow. My personality traits have helped me achieve high degree of self-confidence which is why I do not only embrace challenges but actually seek them out.

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• Journal of Chinese Linguistics

About this Journal

Journal of Chinese Linguistics is an academic journal mainly in English, which comprises research content from both general linguistics and Chinese linguistics (Languages in China). JCL articles published since 1973 covered many linguistic sub-disciplines of the languages in China. The authors explore a variety of general linguistic areas such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics. It is indexed in Social Science Citation Index and 8 other databases and indexes.

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Available issues, table of contents, volume 52, 2024.

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• Editorial Board -- Volume 48, Number 2, June 2020
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Linguistics (and english language) personal statement.

Unlike most people who are indifferent towards language, I am fascinated by it. Though still uncertain of what exactly it is, a tool, an instinct, or phenomenon, I recognise its power to persuade, manipulate, disgust, bewilder, excite, and create observable change in people and the world around them.

My passion for language gradually developed after I started writing poetry and discovered the power of owning a poetic license. I had the power to create words, twist sentence structures and ignore the rules which I had been ingrained with from birth. My most recent piece of writing, titled 'Liana', revolves around the themes of what it means to be human, femininity, sexuality and sex vs. gender. What I love the most about writing is how limitless it is; I am free to put anything down on my paper. My play has now won first place in a creative writing competition, been published in a local Shanghai magazine, and is currently being made into a drama production at my school. I am assisting with the directing process in the drama production, and it is an incomparable feeling to have others interpreting and reading something that you have created. Although it is my text and I had my own intention for the overall message of the text, it is incredible to see how others can create their own, perfectly justifiable meaning for it.

My insightful nature lead me to see through the generally accepted belief that subjects are separate and intended to be studied in isolation from one another. When joining the IBDP program, I carefully selected subjects that interested me and would cultivate my passion for Linguistics. I have been able to study the relationship and connections between Linguistics and Psychology, Philosophy, Computer Science, Theory of Knowledge and even Mathematics. Reading Nietzsche's On The Genealogy of Morals and finding that he used etymology to trace the origin of morality showed me just how much information we can gather from diachronic linguistics. After first moving to China and not being fluent in Mandarin, I was heavily reliant on translation software. Despite the shortcomings of machine translation, the lack of direct translations for words and lack of succinctness, it still facilitates basic communication. But when communicating through these applications, I could still feel the disconnect between myself and the other party. Shortly after, I began independently learning Mandarin. Learning a language so different from English has allowed me to compare and contrast the two, and take a critical look at the nature of languages and how we use them. I started to immerse myself in linguistics through online linguistics courses offered by Leiden University, through reading of Steven Pinker, Chomsky and Clark, and conducting my own interdisciplinary investigations.

Thus far, I've done my IB extended essay on word prediction within computational linguistics, looking at the capabilities of modern computers and their ineptness for language has lead me to further consolidate my understanding of how exceptional and unpredictable language can be. In mathematics I've tested Zipf's Law within some of my favourite books, and discovered the objectivity within that which I thought was wholly subjective. My favorite investigation was on the effect of language on recall in psychology. I conducted my own experiment that involved leading questions and how memory can be reconstructed based on the language we use. Outside of my studies, I volunteer at an international hospital where I assist with translating between English and Mandarin for patients, take care of young children and tell stories to senior citizens. I am a tenacious, inquisitive and creative student and am confident that I have the capacity and determination to be successful at university

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Author's Comments

I was quite happy with the outcome of this personal statement. I wrote it a few days before the deadline, but it still turned out quite strong.

Offers: University of Cambridge UCL University of Edinburgh University of Sheffield Warwick

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