To stimulate the research development of our Department, our teachers actively apply for the research funding to support their research projects. In the past 10 years, a number of research projects have successfully acquired funding from the Research Grants Council, the Quality Education Fund and other external funding bodies. The research specializations of our teachers include Chinese linguistics and phonology, ancient Chinese texts, classical Chinese literature, and modern Chinese literature. Under the strong research atmosphere of our Department, we anticipate to have more valued research and bring new thoughts to the academia in the future.
Funded by Other External Funding Bodies
The identification, Register expressions (2014/15)
Project Title
The identification, Register expressions
Funding Year
2014/15
Principle Investigator
Prof Feng Shengli
Other Investigator
Prof Sun Dejing
Prof Chu Chengzhi
Prof Tao Hongyin
Prof Wang Lijuan
Prof Wang Yongna
Prof Huang Mei
Mr Luo Jianfei
Granted Amount
RMB$200,000
Funding Organization
教育部2014年度人文社會科學重點研究基地立項
Description

《漢語口語語法》出版的同年(1968)趙元任先生發表了他的第一部漢語書面語教材:Sayable Chinese《中國話的讀物》。在該教材的前言中他指出:「漢語的白話書面語絕大部分是用報刊風格(journalistic style)寫成的有關社會科學內容的文章」,然而這些「書面白話(written bairhuah)不是『可說的』(sayable)自然語言」,因此「一些(美國)學生中文口語說得很好,但他們說出一個漂亮句子後,接下的一句就徑用胡適或魯迅一類作家自己不說、也根本不想用在口頭的句子」。五十年前趙元任指出的這種現象,今天還在。這就是漢語教學中口語和書面語之間的不同與衝突。

這種語體的衝突向我們提出挑戰:書面語的性質是什麼?「可說的」書面語和「口語」有何不同?如何避免二語習得中的語體衝突?我們認為,這些問題可以通過「語體語法」的理論來回答和解決。

語體語法是近年來發展出來的一個新領域。以前,人們看到了口語和書面語的不同,認為「書面的」不是嘴上能說的,只是作者的文字藝術或語言修辭。但事實上,正如趙元任所編的「Sayable Chinese」中所說,書面語是不同於口語的一種「可說的」正式體漢語。我們知道,人們的語言交際需要「什麼時候說什麼話」,但大多數人把因人、因地、因事所說的不同的話,只當做語言使用的藝術和技巧,沒有注意到它們的語法屬性。事實上,人們在語言交際中怎麼說,不僅要看物件(如跟父母、朋友、領導、外賓等的不同)、要看場合(如家裡、單位裡、大會上等)、還要看所談的內容(如日常生活、政治經濟、學術觀點等)的不同。這些交際物件、場景和內容的不同決定著交際時所用的詞彙和語法的不同。因此,所謂的「書面語」不是不能說,而是在特定場合才說的正式體或莊典體。譬如「購買」,人們只在正式場合才使用,口語說「買」;「買書」和「購買圖書」都可以說,都是漢語需要的表達形式。然而,在口語裡“昨天他買和看了一本書「不合漢語語法,因為兩個動詞不能用「和」來連接。但是如果把口語的「買」和「看」換成正式說法的「購買」和「閱讀」的話,不合法的句子馬上就合法了。比較(帶「*」號的句子不合法):
*他昨天買和看了一本書
他昨天購買和閱讀了一部古典小說。
可見,人們說話轉換語體時,不僅改變詞彙,而且使用不同、甚至矛盾的語法格式。換言之,語體的不同,直接關係到句子的合法與否。問題之大,是以前所沒想到的。顯然,這在漢語語言學與漢語二語教學裡,不僅是一個新現象,而且是一個非常重要的新課題。

這種現象的重要性直接關係到二語習得。我們常常聽到外國學生抱怨:“Why is Chinese so damn hard?” 其中原因固然很多,但重要的一個就是「語體語法」的困惑。趙元任說他的美國學生雖然中文口語很好,但一句口語後,接著就是書面語的句子,其不倫不類的原因,就在於此。顯然,莊典禮服不適於隨便的場合,而室內便服也不能用於接見外賓。如果說漢語「語體不同則語法亦異」,那麼混淆不同語體的表達不僅「語不得體」,更會導致「語法錯誤」。這種現實不僅讓學中文的外國學生感到困惑,就連我們的中文教師也常常對此束手無策。

語體和語法直接相關的現實,要求我們對不同語體的不同形式必須有一個清楚的區分和總體的估價:什麼是口語語體詞語?什麼是正式體詞語?正式體詞語到底有哪些?等等。當然,有人可能會問:漢語正式與非正式的語體區別,果真如此之大嗎?僅據我們的初步統計,漢語常用正式體雙音節詞彙有近500個(如「加以、進行、從事」等),嵌偶單音詞高達300餘個(如「遍訪、遍查」的「遍」),正式和莊典體的句型有近300個(如「為...所...」等)。毫無疑問,對漢語的二語習得而言,這個數字並不小;更何況這些標誌語體特徵的表達形式不是可有可無,而是漢語語體表達和構成的必要和必需的成分。因此漢語教學的一個重要內容就是把這些帶有語體特徵的用語,根據不同物件、場合、和內容的需要,清清楚楚地教授給學生。唯其如此,我們才有可能把他們從中文“難學”的抱怨和困境中解放出來。一言以蔽之,漢語語體語法的研究不僅是漢語本身,而且是漢語二語教學實踐上的一個迫在眉睫的重要課題。

語體語法的研究雖然加深了我們對書面正式語體的認識,然而什麼是「語體」?語體的根本屬性什麼?如何鑒定語言中的不同語體?表達同一語體的詞、語和句型,究竟有哪些、有多少?哪些詞彙和句法是中性的?哪些是「語體異化」形式?凡此種種,都是目前語言學和對外漢語教學中面臨的新課題。

為有效地回答和解決這些問題,我們需從具體而實際的環節入手,設定一個切實可行的操作步驟,一步一步地有計劃地完成和解決。這就是本專案所要解決的問題。

Funded by Other External Funding Bodies
The scientific notions in Qian-Jia Scholars Duan Yucai (Shuowen jiezi) and Wang Niansun (Guanya Shuzheng) (2014/15)
Project Title
The scientific notions in Qian-Jia Scholars Duan Yucai (Shuowen jiezi) and Wang Niansun (Guanya Shuzheng)
Funding Year
2014/15
Principle Investigator
Prof Feng Shengli
Other Investigator
Prof Shi Xiangdong
Prof Feng Hui
Prof Wang Yongyuan
Prof Zhang Yinsheng
Prof Yin Xiaojie
Granted Amount
RMB$350,000
Funding Organization
全國哲學社會科學規劃辦公室2015年度國家社會科學基金項目立項
Description

本課題在區分科學技術與科學思想的前提下,認為形式科學(如公理假設、推演定理等)是西方以伽利略為代表的近代科學的基礎,一百五十年後的乾嘉學派也蘊含著形式科學的要素。本課題以段玉裁《說文解字注》、王念孫《廣雅疏證》為研究物件,發掘乾嘉學者治學中的科學理念和科學方法。前代學者如梁啟超、胡適、章太炎等曾提及中國傳統學術樸學中孕育著科學的要素。然而,什麼是中國傳統學術中所蘊含的深層的、可供繼承發展的科學要素呢?這個問題尚未得到學術界的重視和研究。

我們認為科學的原理在公理設定、定理推演以及演繹和實驗,其結論形式為「理必」,而乾嘉學者劃時代的發明與貢獻,正是其「理必之學」,這是中國傳統學術走向當代科學的起始之步,也是中華學術科學發展過程中趨向理性方法和公理化思想的萌芽,本課題擬對段玉裁《說文解字注》、王念孫《廣雅疏證》中的科學理念和方法進行系統研究,選題依據陳述如下。

乾嘉學派的語文學是語言學的分支。語言研究是否具備「科學」的屬性?著名語言學家霍凱特(Hockett)曾提出語言學不是科學,至少還沒有發展成為科學。很多傳統語言學家持此看法。然而喬姆斯基《句法結構》嘗試在科學理論框架之下建立一個科學的理論體系,把語言系統構建為一個嚴格的、可推演的、具有科學屬性的公理系統。著名句法學家Richard K. Larson的著作Grammar as science把「科學」直接作為書名。這些都說明語言學具有科學性。

Funded by the Research Grants Council
Secularization of a Canon: the Reception of Chu Ci in late Ming Period (ca.1500-1644) (2014/15)
Project Title
Secularization of a Canon: the Reception of Chu Ci in late Ming Period (ca.1500-1644)
Funding Year
2014/15
Principle Investigator
Prof. Nicholas L. Chan
Other Investigator
Prof. Wong Yiu Kwan
Dr. Cai Xuanhui
Mr. Kwok Kim Fung
Granted Amount
HK$149,500
Funding Organization
RGC General Research Fund
Description

This proposal implores the reception of the traditional canon Chu Ci in the context of secularization in late Ming period (ca.1500-1644), with the focus on the works of Chu Ci studies of the Ming dynasty.

In early Ming period when the imperial power was expanding and Neo-Confucianism was prevalent, Qu Yuan (ca.343-ca.277B.C.) and his works were criticized, and therefore the study of Chu Ci was in a low key, with the only exception of Zhu Xi’s(1130-1200) Chu Ci Jizhu 楚辭集註 (Collected Commentary on Chu Ci). That is because Zhu Xi’s approach was seen as the orthodox Confucian perspective and hence the unchallengeable status of his commentary. After the Mid-Ming times, a great change occurred in the academic trend, a surge of new studies on Chu Ci was initiated. Up to the end of the dynasty, nearly 80 works of Chu Ci studies were published, and more than 50 of them are extant today. These works demonstrate several unique characteristics of the reception of Chu Ci in late Ming. 1) The revealing of the political circumstances: scholars like Zhao Nanxing, He Qiaoyuan and Huang Wenhuan would like to express their political views through making exegesis of Chu Ci. 2) The expression of geo-cultural factors: most of the authors of works of Chu Ci studies were from the regions along the Yangtze Valley. This can be explained by the cultural sympathy of Chu Ci, geographical, economic and publication situations. 3) The trend of ‘‘qing’’情 and ‘‘qu’’趣 : the popularity of the School of Mind provoked the society’s mind of individualism, and the authors and commentators of Chu Ci did not regard Zhu Xi’s ideas as the only method to interpret Qu Yuan and his works. Authors such as Sang Yue or Lu Shiyong were rather interested in the factors of emotions and entertainment in the works. 4) The preference of erudition and exoticism: this trend, which started in Jiangsu and later became more popular in late Ming, can be concluded in two parts: the first was textual criticism and the second was the interest in materials of myths. Examples of Chu Ci studies include Tian Wen Bu Zhu of Wang Zhonghong and Li Sao Cao Mu Shi of Zhou Gongchen. The study of these characteristics, which confirm the tendency of secularization of canons in late Ming, is the main body of this project.

This project is designed in two stages: at the first stage we are going to collect in China, Taiwan and Japan the research materials which are not yet seen. Though they only constitute a small part of the materials, most of them are the only copy extant. At the second stage we will start the examination and study of the materials collected. We hope that this project can deepen our knowledge in the studies of literature, philosophy, textual criticism and mythology in the Ming dynasty.

Funded by the Research Grants Council
A Study of the Hong Kong Literary Journal Current Literature (Dangdai wenyi) (2014/15)
Project Title
A Study of the Hong Kong Literary Journal Current Literature (Dangdai wenyi)
Funding Year
2014/15
Principle Investigator
Prof. Ngai Ling Tun
Granted Amount
HK$197,249
Funding Organization
RGC General Research Fund
Description

本研究旨在探討《當代文藝》在形塑香港以及東南亞華語語系文學方面所作的貢獻。

Current Literature is a literary monthly founded in Hong Kong by Xu Su (1924-1981) in 1965. It was one of the most popular middle-brow literary journals of Hong Kong in the second half of the twentieth century.

Driven by Xu Su’s passion to promote literature among general readers, this journal has succeeded, mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, not only in nurturing aspiring writers locally and abroad, but also in creating a vibrant Sinophone literary community outside of China. Regular and frequent contributors to this journal came from three areas in Asia: the colonial cities of Hong Kong and Macao; the tropical region comprising Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia; and the politically unstable Indochinese countries such as Vietnam and Laos. Other contributors, less in number by comparison, were from Taiwan, Thailand, Burma, Europe and North America.

This research will look into the historical role played by Current Literature in shaping Sinophone literatures of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in the second half of twentieth century, explicate the characteristics and concerns of various Sinophone writings, and assess the literary achievements of notable writers who have contributed significantly to the success of the journal and the emergence of Sinophone literatures.

Funded by the Research Grants Council
Portraying June Fourth: A Discursive Study on Representations in Literature in Hong Kong (2014/15)
Project Title
Portraying June Fourth: A Discursive Study on Representations in Literature in Hong Kong
Funding Year
2014/15
Principle Investigator
Prof. Wong Nim-yan
Granted Amount
HK$179,750
Funding Organization
RGC General Research Fund
Description

The proposed research provides a pioneering study of the 'June Fourth discourse' in Hong Kong exemplified in literary works by writers and students. There are two main objectives:
1. Providing a comprehensive survey on literary works published in Hong Kong within the one year period of June 1989 to June 1990 with respect to the national identity discourse; and
2. Analyzing the 'June Fourth representations' in literature in the last 25 years after the incident by case studies of the Hong Kong writer Wong Bik Wan黃碧雲 (1961—); the youth writers' magazine Fleurs Des Lettres字花 (2006—); and poetry anthologies in the name of June Fourth.

Combining the two perspectives, we shall able to learn more about the changing representations of the Tiananmen Incident of 1989 in the last quarter of century, as well as Hong Kong's initiatives on the incident, a subject where political reality and individual identity crisis meet, I believe this research will have a wide impact on our understanding of the complex relations between contemporary literature and politics as well as literature and social commitment. The actual vibrant society of Hong Kong has passed from pre-retrocession to post-retrocession, also offering us a new angle to study how literature manifests in different political status. This research will also provide unique case studies to understand the actual meanings, impacts, and ideological discourse reflected in the nuance of literary representations, which has become the burgeoning academic concerns in Hong Kong identity and the region's relation with China.