Faculty of Arts and Humanities | University of Macau

Exhibiting Landscape Paintings in Macau: A Visual Record of East-West Encounter
2024-03-12 15:00 - 16:30 UTC | Auditorium G012, UM Library (E2)

ELC-EELC2010 Open Presentations (Date: March11-15)
2024-03-11 11:30 - 2024-03-15 13:00 | E4-G051
Dear students,
Since the beginning of this semester, EELC2010 students have been working on some UM/Macau problems they identified. Next week, the students are going to take part in an open presentation. They will explain to you what the problems are, how they are related to you, and what solutions they propose.
They NEED your support! Audience members can VOTE for the projects they support. Winning groups will receive funding from FAH to implement their ideas in April.

Please come and VOTE for the projects you like!
0.5 Smart points and 10 CS points will be awarded for attending each session
Late comers WILL NOT be admitted
Register for your spot now! (Scan the QR code on the poster)

Best Regards,
English Language Centre
Faculty of Arts and Humanities

FAH-DENG Guest Lecture: 'Publishing in Top Journals: A Philosophical and Practical Discussion'
2024-03-08 16:00 - 17:30 | E21-G002
Abstract:
This lecture takes a closer look at the nature of scholarly publication. Publishing is a prerequisite for success in the modern university, but there is very little discussion among humanities scholars about the characteristics of publishable scholarship. In this talk, Professor Leonard Neidorf attempts to identify the implicit criteria that editors of top international journals use when they evaluate the merit of submissions. He then identifies some respects in which the journals’ criteria are at odds with current humanities pedagogy, and he recommends some ways to bring publishing and pedagogy into greater harmony. Beyond this philosophical discussion, the talk offers practical advice for increasing one’s success in journal publishing based on Professor Neidorf’s experience with more than twenty different international journals.

Biography:
Leonard Neidorf is Professor of English at Nanjing University. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and his B.A. from New York University. He is the author of two monographs—The Art and Thought of the Beowulf Poet (Cornell University Press, 2022) and The Transmission of Beowulf: Language, Culture, and Scribal Behavior (Cornell University Press, 2017)—as well as the editor of three books. In 2020, Neidorf was awarded the Beatrice White Prize by the English Association for his research on medieval literature. Neidorf has published more than 90 papers in A&HCI journals. His work has appeared in a wide range of journals including ELH, Folklore, Neophilologus, Review of English Studies, Tolkien Studies, Journal of Germanic Linguistics, and Nature Human Behaviour. Neidorf is an Associate Editor of English Studies (Taylor & Francis) and the Editor-in-Chief of The Explicator (Taylor & Francis).

FAH-DENG Guest Lecture: ‘Beowulf and the Digital Humanities'
2024-03-07 14:00 - 15:30 | E21-3118
Abstract:
Beowulf is the oldest epic poem in the English language, but it was largely unknown until 1815, when its first modern edition was published. Appearing at a moment when Romantic nationalism was spreading throughout Europe, this mysterious poem rapidly attracted considerable debate about its authorship, date of composition, and transmission history. This lecture looks at how the disciplines broadly described as ‘the Digital Humanities’ can shed new light on these old debates. In particular, it discusses the arguments presented in “Large-Scale Quantitative Profiling of the Old English Verse Tradition,” a paper published in Nature Human Behaviour that Professor Neidorf co-authored with scholars from Harvard, MIT, and other universities. This paper received mainstream media coverage in venues such as The Guardian, The Times, The Boston Globe, and Smithsonian Magazine. Neidorf considers why the paper received such coverage, and then offers a critical assessment of what the Digital Humanities can and cannot do, how such studies are best interpreted, and how the knowledge generated in the traditional humanities remains essential to them. Neidorf stresses the importance of collaboration and argues that the Digital Humanities should be viewed not as a competitor, but as a complement, to traditional humanities scholarship.

Biography:
Leonard Neidorf is Professor of English at Nanjing University. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and his B.A. from New York University. He is the author of two monographs—The Art and Thought of the Beowulf Poet (Cornell University Press, 2022) and The Transmission of Beowulf: Language, Culture, and Scribal Behavior (Cornell University Press, 2017)—as well as the editor of three books. In 2020, Neidorf was awarded the Beatrice White Prize by the English Association for his research on medieval literature. Neidorf has published more than 90 papers in A&HCI journals. His work has appeared in a wide range of journals including ELH, Folklore, Neophilologus, Review of English Studies, Tolkien Studies, Journal of Germanic Linguistics, and Nature Human Behaviour. Neidorf is an Associate Editor of English Studies (Taylor & Francis) and the Editor-in-Chief of The Explicator (Taylor & Francis).

FAH/DPHIL Lecture Series – “Why the Search for AI Safety (or Alignment) Can Be Very Dangerous" by Prof. Herman Cappelen, University of Hong Kong
2024-03-06 17:30 - 19:00 | E21A-G049
Zoom: https://umac.zoom.us/j/97781274783
Password: [REDACTED]

Abstract
There is now a very extensive debate, both inside and outside academia, about how to make very advanced AI systems safe and ethical. Sometimes this is called the Alignment Problem. There are many proposals for how this can be done. In this talk, I argue that most (or all) of these efforts are both futile and potentially dangerous. I end with some old-fashioned suggestions for how to move forward when thinking about AI risk.

Bio
Herman Cappelen is Chair Professor of philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. Before moving to Hong Kong, he worked at the Universities of Oslo, St. Andrews, Oxford, and Vassar College. To name just some of his accolades, he is currently the director of AI & Humanity Lab at the University of Hong Kong, the co-director of Concept Lab at the University of Oslo and of Concept Lab Hong Kong, and holds a position on the Steering Committee of the Institute of Data Science, also at the University of Hong Kong. Formerly, he was the director of Arché Philosophical Research Center in St. Andrews for several years, and held the position of Research Director of the Center for the Study of Mind in Nature at the University of Oslo. His current research focus is on the philosophy of AI, Conceptual Engineering, the conceptual foundations of political discourse, externalism in the philosophy of mind and language, and the interconnections between all of these. However, his philosophical interests are broad – they cover more or less all areas of systematic philosophy.

FAH – CCHC : Exhibition of "The Education world of Feng Zikai"
2024-03-01 09:00 - 2024-03-15 17:30
Event Information

Event Name
:
FAH – CCHC : Exhibition of “The Education world of Feng Zikai”

Categories
:
Conference / Symposium, Activity, Student Activity

Organizer
:
FAH – Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Date
:
1 Mar to 15 Mar 2024

Time
:
9:00 – 17:30

Venue
:
Room G016, Cultural Building, Exhibition and Multi-function Hall (E34)

Content
:
Opening Ceremony
Date: 1 March 2024
Time: 17:00
Venue: Lobby, Cultural Building (E34)
Symposium
Date: 1 March 2024
Time: 17:30 – 18:30
Venue: Room G019, Cultural Building (E34)
Exhibition Period
Date: 1 March 2024 – 15 March 2024
Time: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays)
Venue: Room G016, Cultural Building, Exhibition and Multi-function Hall (E34)

Target Audience
:
All are welcome

Language
:
Mandarin

Contact Person for Details

Name
:
Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Tel. No
:
88222708

Fax
:
28822383

Email
:
cchc.info@um.edu.mo

EWCC-ELC chatroom #2 “Planning Your Career”
2024-02-28 15:30 - 16:30 | E7-1022
The English Writing and Communication Centre (EWCC) chatroom #1 themed “Studying Overseas” was successfully concluded on January 31 (Wed). We are happy to provide some takeaway message and information to our students who are planning to further study overseas.
We are hereby announcing that the #2 chatroom themed “Planning Your Career” will be held on February 28 (Wed). This event coincides with the intense job hunting & internship application periods, where students seek assistance in editing their CVs and refining personal statements for their dream careers and companies. In the chatroom, students will have the chance to share experiences and concerns with their peers. Meanwhile, they also have the chance to enhance their communication and writing skills with the tips from our tutors.

Date: 28 February 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 15:30-16:30
Venue: E7-1022

Students with all levels of English proficiency are welcome to participate. No registration is required. Do not hesitate and simply drop by EWCC!
For further details, please see the poster.

ECAC-ELC "The British Scone Baking Workshop"
2024-02-28 15:00 - 16:30 | MCMC W11-1049
Dear Student,
You are invited to join “The British Scone Baking Workshop” organize by the English Co-Curricular Activities Committee of the English Language Centre (ECAC-ELC).
The British Scone Baking Workshop aims to introduce the history and culture of enjoying this traditional food as a quintessential part of the afternoon tea in British culture. Students will first learn about the history of scones and the regional differences in the pronunciation of ‘scone’ that British people have always debated over. Then they will work in groups to learn how to bake and enjoy their own delicious British scones!
In this workshop, students will:

find out more about the culture and history of this traditional British quick bread;
name the different baking and cooking utensils and ingredients used in preparing and baking scones;
tell the difference between the different pronunciation of ‘scone’ from different regions in the UK;
bake and taste British scones.

This workshop is hosted by ELC Senior Instructors Ms. Joan Leong and Ms. Teresa Lam.
Come with your friends and earn CS & SP points while you learn!

Date: 28 February 2024
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Venue: MCMC W11-1049

​​​​​Should you have any inquiries, please feel free to contact us at ECAC_ELC@um.edu.mo

The Natural Alliance?: Demystifying the Portuguese response to the Hongkong-Canton strike of 1925-26
2024-02-28 13:00 - 14:30 | E21-3118

INVITATION: Book Presentation Ceremony and Seminar
2024-02-27 16:30 - 18:30 | Auditorium G012, UM Library (E2)
Dear Professors and Students,
We are most pleased to invite all to attend the following Book Presentation Ceremony and Seminar on February 27, 2024 (Tuesday), at 16:00, at the University of Macau Library (E2), Library Auditorium, Room G012.

BOOK PRESENTATION CEREMONY
“Os Lusíadas do Grande Luis de Camoens”, published in 1613
“Os Lusíadas do Grande Luis de Camoens” published in 1613, in a rare and annotated edition of the most important Portuguese poetic-epic text “Os Lusíadas”, as part of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the poet and playwright Luís de Camões (born in Lisbon, ca. 1524-10 June, 1580). The preliminary pages of this edition contain what is considered to be the first biography of the poet, written by Pedro de Mariz, a person close to his time and whose biographical testimony is of great authentic value.
Considered one of the most important figures in Portuguese literature, Luís de Camões is acclaimed as one of the most important voices in the world of epic literature. It is believed that the recent acquisition by the University of Macau of this rare book of Portuguese poetry would be beneficial for the academic and cultural exchanges among UM, other higher education institutions and the Chinese and Portuguese communities.

SEMINAR
“Mathematics and Literature”
If Mathematics and Literature are two very different ways of understanding the Cosmos and Life, they nevertheless have surprising interactions that deserve to be known beyond the specialists in each area. Based on the recent four-year experience of FOLIO (Óbidos Literary Festival), from 2016 to 2019, this communication aims to present some notable examples of these interactions. From the mathematical elements in Os Lusíadas to Galileo’s Discorsi and Dialoghi, from the poems of José Anastácio da Cunha and António Monteiro to the literary writings of Sofia Kovaleskaya and Felix Hausdorff (Paul Mongé), not forgetting Bourbaki or Oulipo, there are unexpected and profound relationships between mathematics and literature.
by Professor José Francisco Rodrigues
University of Lisbon, Academy of Sciences of Lisbon
José Francisco Rodrigues is a Portuguese Professor of Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. He works in mathematical analysis of nonlinear partial differential equations and, in particular, in free boundary problems. He had studied in Lisbon and in Paris, and he has visited and has given lectures in many Mathematical Institutes, Conferences and Universities in Europe, USA, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Australia and China (Suzhou, Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing). He has also interdisciplinary interests and activities in the relations and interactions of Mathematics with other Sciences and with General Culture, including Communication, History, Music, Literature and Architecture. He was Director of the research center CMAF/Univ. Lisboa and of the Portuguese CIM (Centro Internacional de Matemática). He served in several European Mathematical Society (EMS) Committees and is, since 2022, Vice-General-Secretary of the Lisbon Academy of Science, to which he belongs since 1994.

EWCC-ELC : "The Word Matters festival - Language Lab Tutorials "
2024-02-26 10:00 - 2024-04-11 17:00 | E3-1032 or E3-G033 (refer to timetable)
If you would like to make yourself more competitive in the 1) Language Master Challenge competition, or simply just want to improve your English, EWCC has arranged a series of tutorials, designed to enhance students’ language usage and critical thinking skills. The tutorial series specify at 1) sentence building, 2) common logical fallacies, 3) critical reading and analysis, and 4) critical writing and evaluation.

Date: from 26 February to 11 April 2024 (On Monday and Thursday)
Time: Please refer to the registration form
Venue: E3-1032 or E3-G033 (refer to timetable)

If you are interested in the tutorials, please registered here : https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_02iFwBpUdv3Z7PU
Should you have any inquiries, please feel free to contact us at fah_elc_ells@um.edu.mo
The Word Matters festival Event Timetable:

Recruitment: 3nd Chinese Culture Promotion Ambassador
2024-02-26 08:00 - 2024-03-15 23:30
To cultivate enthusiasm for Chinese history and culture and enhance the knowledge of excellent Chinese traditional culture, the Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC) at the University of Macau is launching the “Chinese Culture Promotion Ambassador” training program. This program includes share meetings, symposiums, lectures, seminars, and exchange programs, striving to make students become the backbone force committed to the dissemination of Chinese history and culture. The term of the Promotion Ambassador is two years and is renewable.
Organizer: The Centre for Chinese History and Culture, University of Macau
※ Program Purpose

Enhance awareness of the history of China and Macao;
Improve the cultural education of students;
Inherit Chinese excellent traditional culture;
Strengthen patriotism and cultivate affection for Macao by becoming a Chinese Culture Promotion Ambassador.

※ Requirements

University students in Macao (including undergraduate and graduate students)
Interested in Chinese history and culture;
Student who are responsible, actively participate, and have a high level of commitment.

※ After joining successfully, you could have the opportunities to:

Obtain the certificate of ” Chinese History and Culture Promotion Ambassador”;
Participate in the study organized by the CCHC;
Join in exchange and other activities held by the CCHC

※ Enquiries:
Ms. Fong Ho of CCHC
Tel: 8822 2708; Email: cchc_adm@um.edu.mo
*The Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the University of Macau has the right to interpret and modify the program

Short Course on Academic Writing and Publication
2024-02-26 - 2024-03-04 | E34-1002

FAH – CCHC Lecture Series : The Distinctive Features of Chinese Culture in Macao
2024-02-24 10:00 - 12:30
Event Information

Event Name
:
FAH – CCHC Lecture Series : The Distinctive Features of Chinese Culture in Macao

Categories
:
Seminar / Lecture

Organizer
:
FAH – Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Speaker
:
Prof. YEUNG Siu Kwai

Date
:
24 February 2024

Time
:
10:00 – 12:10

Venue
:
Colégio Diocesano de São José (5ª)

Target Audience
:
Students of the Colégio Diocesano de São José (5ª)

Language
:
Cantonese

Contact Person for Details

Name
:
The Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Tel. No
:
88222708

Fax
:
88222383

Email
:
cchc.info@um.edu.mo

三百年歷史的香港廟宇傳統
2024-02-23 13:00 - 14:30 | E21-3118

FAH/DPHIL Lecture Series – “Ernst Cassirer and the Place of Myth in Scientific Culture” by Prof. Gregory Moss, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2024-02-21 17:30 - 19:00 | E21A-3118
Zoom: https://umac.zoom.us/j/98345879594
Password: [REDACTED]

Abstract
Philosophers often raise the objection that Cassirer’s theory of myth appears unequipped to account for the possibility of the return of mythical consciousness within modern Western societies. I argue that Cassirer’s philosophy of myth can successfully respond to this classical objection. In his second volume, The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 2: The Mythical Thinking, Cassirer draws on Schelling’s philosophy of myth in order to give a transcendental account of mythical experience. Like Schelling, Cassirer argues that myth is historically overcome by other forms of culture, such as revealed religion and scientific culture. However, in the third volume, The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, Volume 3, Cassirer argues that both mythical consciousness and our consciousness of other minds are made possible by the same symbolic function. Because the symbolic function that makes myth possible is never fully absent from human experience, I argue that Cassirer’s theory of myth is fully able to account for the reappearance and transformation of mythical forms in modern life. Finally, I argue that the symbolic function that makes myth possible not only appears within the perceptual experience of other minds, but also within scientific culture itself.

Bio
Gregory S. Moss is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before joining the faculty at CUHK in 2016 he was a lecturer in philosophy at Clemson University from 2014-2016. He completed PhD in philosophy in August 2014 under Distinguished Research Professor Richard Dien Winfield and was awarded a Fulbright Research Fellowship to study under Markus Gabriel at the University of Bonn in Germany (2013-2014). Gregory Moss’s scholarly work is mainly focused on systematic metaphysical and epistemological questions that stem from the Post-Kantian German and Ancient Greek philosophical traditions. He is the author of Hegel’s Foundation Free Metaphysics,: The Logic of Singularity, ( Routledge 2020), which won the Hegel PD prize for 2022. He has broad interests, ranging from modern Japanese philosophy (mostly the Kyoto School), to issues in the Philosophy of Culture and the Philosophy of Religion.

Scenery Under the Visions of West and East——Analysis of the Curatorial Idea and Theme of the Exhibition “With the Sunshine, Across the Sea – From French Impressionism to Macao Landscape Paintings”
2024-02-02 16:30 - 18:00 | Auditorium G012, UM Library (E2)

With The Sunshine, Across The Sea: From French Impressionism to Landscape Paintings of Macao
2024-02-02 10:00 - 2024-05-05 17:00
Nearly 130 works of art will be on display in this exhibition. Through innovative curatorial approaches, the exhibition will bring an unrivalled visual feast to visitors, showcasing oil paintings created in the Normandy region of France by over ten prestigious Western painters, including Théodore Géricault, Claude Monet, Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, as well as the photographic works by artists of their time. Apart from that, the exhibition has set up another section featuring paintings by the 20th century French neo-impressionist André Hambourg, as well as landscape masterpieces created in Macao by Western and Chinese artists such as George Vitalievich Smirnoff, Luîs Luciano Demée, and Kwok Se, who drew inspiration from the integration of different cultures. Macao, as a blend of Eastern and Western cultures, was historically the entry point for Western oil paintings to be introduced to China Through this exhibition, visitors will see how artists from different timesand regions, from Normandy to Macao, listened to the call of art and depicted the ‘same patch of sky’ through their own gaze.
Location:1F/2F, Museum of Art, University of Macau, Wu Lee Sun Library (E2)
Open during public holidays(Except for 10 Feb – 12 Feb)

Sharing Session - ‘Cybernetics and Poetical Truth: Weak Technologies in the Age of Chatbots' by Prof. Alex Taek-Gwang Lee
2024-02-01 13:00 - 14:30 | E21-G035
Abstract
In this talk, I will intervene in the anxieties surrounding contemporary technology, particularly AI, mainly shaped through the lens of Heidegger‘s concern about how it might replace human thought and “poetical truth.” While acknowledging the historical shift from mythical views of technology to the scientific paradigms of today, I argue that we need to move beyond dominant, “strong technologies” like ChatGPT and embrace the potential of “weak technologies.” These adaptable tools, open to diverse uses, offer an alternative to the control-oriented cybernetic model that threatens to enslave us. Instead of fearing AI’s dominance, we should explore its “minor uses,” diversifying its capabilities and breaking free from the predetermined algorithms that could lead to voluntary servitude. Ultimately, rethinking our relationship with technology is crucial to preserving our agency and navigating a future where humans and machines coexist, not compete. I investigate the concept of “planetary cybernetics” by bridging the insights of Simondon’s work on individuation and Deleuze’s theory of unique technological assemblages. This will contribute to a nuanced understanding of how technology shapes and is shaped by our planetary environment.

FAH/DPHIL Lecture Series – “Philosophical Expertise and Acquisition of Intuitions” by Prof. Kengo Miyazono and Kiichi Inarimori, Hokkaido University, Japan
2024-01-31 17:30 - 19:00
Zoom: https://umac.zoom.us/j/91382186744
Password: [REDACTED]

Abstract
This paper argues that there is a form of philosophical expertise that has to do with the acquisition of philosophical intuitions. In other words, there are at least some cases in which having “genuine” philosophical intuitions (i.e. philosophical intuitions that are based on the full possession of relevant concepts) requires some form of philosophical expertise; laypeople without philosophical expertise do not have genuine philosophical intuitions. As a case study, we focus on the intuitions about free will and determinism, and provide experimental evidence that philosophical expertise is necessary in order to have genuine philosophical intuitions about free will and determinism.

Bio
Kengo Miyazono is an associate professor of philosophy at Hokkaido University, Japan. His research areas are philosophy of mind, psychology, and cognitive science.
Kiichi Inarimori is a PhD student at Hokkaido University, Japan. His research topics include free will, experimental philosophy, and philosophical methodology.

EWCC chatroom “Studying Overseas”
2024-01-31 15:30 - 16:30 | E7-1022
The English Writing and Communication Centre (EWCC) is thrilled to release our first EWCC chatroom themed “Studying Overseas” on January 31 (Wed)

This event coincides with the intense postgraduate & summer school application periods, where students seek assistance in editing their CVs and refining personal statements for their dream schools. In the chatroom, students will have the chance to share experiences and concerns with their peers. Meanwhile, they also have the chance to enhance their communication and writing skills with the tips from our tutors.

Date: 31 January 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 15:30-16:30
Venue: E7-1022

Students with all levels of English proficiency are welcome to participate. No registration is required. Do not hesitate and simply drop by EWCC!
For further details, please see the poster.

Macau as an essential nexus of a global network in the late sixteenth century: from the perspective of Macau in Japanese history and Sino-Japanese relations from the 1550s to 1630s.
2024-01-31 14:30 - 15:30 | U-Hall

Two Muttiahs and the Making of British Rule in South India
2024-01-31 13:00 - 14:00 | E21-3118

NO MEIO DA PONTE — A TRADUÇÃO CRIATIVA DE POESIA
2024-01-29 19:00 - 21:00 | E21-3118

【Macao Humanities Forum】Semantic Shifts and Areal Typology in Asia by Prof Hilary Chappell from EHESS
2024-01-24 16:00 - 17:30 | E21A-G035
We are very pleased to announce that the 3rd Lecture of the FAH Macao Humanities Forum (2023/2024) will be held on 24 Jan 2024. The forum aims to provide a platform for world-renowned scholars from diverse humanities fields to share their research with the FAH community and other UM scholars. All members of the UM community are cordially invited to this splendid event.

In this upcoming forum, we are honored to have Prof Hilary Chappell as our guest speaker to deliver a lecture on the topic “Semantic Shifts and Areal Typology in Asia.” Hilary Chappell, a specialist in Sinitic linguistics, has served as Chair Professor in East Asian Linguistic Typology since 2005 at the EHESS, a prestigious research institute in Paris considered to be one of France’s “grands établissements.” Prior to this, she taught for 18 years in the Department of Linguistics at La Trobe University in Melbourne. Most recently, she has been appointed as Vice Chancellor’s Visiting Professor to the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the 2023-2024 academic year. Prof. Chappell has published four monographs, as well as 80 journal articles and book chapters. Over the past 30 years, she has presented more than 180 conference papers on linguistic typology and various Chinese language varieties, of which 70 were plenary or invited talks.

Details of the forum are as follows:
Speaker: Prof Hilary Chappell
Topic: Semantic Shifts and Areal Typology in Asia亞洲語言的語義變化與區域類型學研究
Date: 24 Jan 2024 (Wed)
Time: 16:00 – 17:30*
Venue: On-Site (E21A-G035) / ZOOM: https://umac.zoom.us/j/95172197536
Language: English (with simultaneous interpretation into Mandarin on Zoom)
*Light refreshments will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis
Abstract:
In this talk, I examine a set of shared patterns in both lexical polysemy and grammaticalization pathways found in the languages of East and Southeast Asia. It will be argued that : (1)Semantic change underlies lexical and morphosyntactic change, including grammaticalization, rather than being viewed as an incidental or ephiphenomenal process. (2) The detection of recurring patterns in the Mainland East and Southeast Asian region provides a more reliable basis for establishing linguistic areas than lists of features.
The synchronic patterns of areal polysemy created by copular, locative, existential and possessive verbs and their syncretism (Chappell & Lü 2022) are outlined as a prelude to the discussion of the shared polysemy of ‘mother’ augmentatives, Say verbs and psycho-collocations.
In sum, this approach considers polysemy sharing as a crucial technique in the identification of linguistic areas in the domain of areal typology (cf. Koptjevskaja-Tamm & Liljegren 2017). To this end, we contend that the rather unembellished component of semantic change, typical of syntactic typology and grammaticalization frameworks, needs to be elaborated.

Please register for the forum by 22 Jan 2024 (Mon) via https://umac.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6LtAOLSozAEtsgK

Opium Cures and the Rise of China's Retail Chemist Trade: A Case Study on A.S. Watson
2024-01-24 11:00 - 13:00 | E21-2001

FAH – CCHC Lecture Series : The value of the compilation of Four Treasuries Study to Chinese history and culture
2024-01-22 13:00 - 14:00
Event Information

Event Name

:

FAH – CCHC Lecture Series : The value of the compilation of Four Treasuries Study to Chinese history and culture

Categories

:

Seminar / Lecture

Organizer

:

FAH – Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Speaker

:

Prof. WANG Sihao

Date

:

22 January 2024

Time

:

13:00 – 14:00

Venue

:

Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School

Target Audience

:

Students and teachers of Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School

Language

:

Mandarin

Contact Person for Details

Name

:

The Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Tel. No

:

88222708

Fax

:

88222383

Email

:

cchc.info@um.edu.mo

FAH-DENG Guest Lecture - ‘The Hidden Obstacles for Artificial Intelligence Translation and Human Transcendence: From the Perspective of Translating Shanghai-style Cultural Texts' by Prof. Xin SHANG
2024-01-22 11:30 - 12:15 | E22-G015
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Department of English Distinguished Lecture Series
Prof. Xin Shang
The Hidden Obstacles for Artificial Intelligence Translation and Human Transcendence: From the Perspective of Translating Shanghai-style Cultural Texts
Monday 22 January 2024, 11:30
Venue: E22-G015
All are Welcome
Abstract:
In the current situation of rapid development of intelligent technology, people have shaken the competence of human translation, and thus have raised many doubts about the cultivation of translation talents. The present talk starts from the perspective of cultural text translation and analyzes the intelligent technology (ChatGPT, Baidu Translate) translation products of Shanghai style culture. It explores the implicit obstacles of intelligent technology in cultural text translation and presents the differences in text background and context processing capability of intelligent technology translation. Research has found that the fundamental reason for the differences in the above aspects is that although intelligent technology has obvious advantages of efficiency and flexibility, it is difficult to generate sufficient associative power in text background issues, which in turn affects the accuracy and appropriateness of translation. The ability to associate with communicative backgrounds is an intellectual barrier that intelligent technology cannot overcome, and it is also the scale at which human potential always surpasses artificial intelligence. Based on the above analysis, the present study believes that the cultivation of translation talents will not be outdated, and the direction of translation talent cultivation is to cultivate translators’ technical control and post editing abilities beyond intelligent technology; And this puts forward higher literacy development goals for translators in terms of their capabilities of intelligent technical control, text analysis and cross-linguistic comparison.
Key words: artificial intelligence; cultural texts; translation; hidden obstacles; human transcendence

Biography:
Xin Shang, Ph.D., professor and doctoral supervisor, is the dean of the School of Foreign Languages of Shanghai University, the head of the first-level discipline of foreign languages and literature, and the head of the national first-class English undergraduate program construction. His academic affiliations include executive director and vice president of the China Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese (a national first-class society), vice president of the Translation and Interpretation Committee of the China Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese, vice president of the Shanghai Society of Scientific and Technological Translation, and executive director of the Shanghai Society of Foreign Languages and Literatures. He was a visiting scholar to McGill University in Canada and Ohio State University in the United States. His main research fields are language comparison and translation research, semantic and syntactic research. He has presided over or completed two projects of the National Social Science Foundation of China, one project of the Humanities and Social Science projects of the Ministry of Education and one project of the Social Science projects of Shanghai Municipality. He won the second prize of Shanghai Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievements (Monographs), the first prize of the Undergraduate Teaching Achievement Award of Shanghai University and has participated in over ten scientific research projects at the national level, provincial and ministerial levels as well as contract research projects. He has published more than 50 articles in CSSCI indexed core journals and SSCI, A&HCI indexed journals such as Target, Foreign Language Teaching and Research, and Foreign Languages, and some of these articles have been reprinted in full in Yuyan Wenzi Xue by Renmin University’s China Social Science Excellence database. He is author of 2 monographs, 3 translated works, 7 edited books, 4 edited textbooks, and 2 introductions and commentaries to the world’s philosophical classics.

人文學院中國語言文學系嘉賓講座：“經典解釋文體與嚴遵《老子注》的思想史價值”-樊波成教授 FAH-DCLL Guest Lecture: “Style of Classical Commentaries and the Historical Value of Yan Zun's Commentaries on Laozi” by Prof. Fan Bocheng
2024-01-18 19:00 - 20:30 | E21-3118

FAH – CCHC Lecture Series :Patriotic Sentiments in Macao's Culture
2024-01-16 14:00 - 16:00
Event Information

Event Name

:

FAH – CCHC Lecture Series :Patriotic Sentiments in Macao’s Culture

Categories

:

Seminar / Lecture

Organizer

:

FAH – Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Speaker

:

Prof. ZHU Shoutong

Date

:

16 January 2024

Time

:

14:00 – 16:00

Venue

:

Yuet Wah College

Target Audience

:

Students and teachers ofYuet Wah College

Language

:

Mandarin

Contact Person for Details

Name

:

The Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC)

Tel. No

:

88222708

Fax

:

88222383

Email

:

cchc.info@um.edu.mo
