Language Matters: Dr Lisa Lim Calls for Concerted Efforts to Save the World’s Mother Tongues

18 February 2017 (Saturday) – online

Dr Lisa Lim, Associate Professor in the School of English, raises the alarm on the rapid loss of languages, and urges for recognition of all languages as a means of promoting cultural diversity and multilingualism in her fortnightly Post Magazine column: Language Matters.

“Ahead of International Mother Language Day, on February 21, we take a look at the role of our native tongues and why up to 90 per cent of more than 6,000 spoken languages are at risk of extinction”

Please click on the following link for the complete article:
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/2071431/how-intolerance-lashes-worlds-mother-tongues

Source: SCMP

Arts Faculty Newsletter Winter 2016/17

The fourteenth issue of the biannual Arts Faculty Newsletter has just been published. It showcases the most recent achievements of our staff and students, and keeps you informed of Arts events.

Click on the link below to access the online version of our Winter 2016/2017 Newsletter:
< http://arts.hku.hk/winter201617.pdf >

Language Matters: Dr Lisa Lim Discusses the Inclusion of “Heaty” and “Cooling” in the Oxford English Dictionary

2 February 2017 (Thursday) – online

Dr Lisa Lim, Associate Professor in the School of English, discusses the inclusion of words that represent Chinese traditional cultural concepts in the Oxford English Dictionary in her fortnightly Post Magazine column: Language Matters.

“New Englishes, such as Singapore English, have evolved to encompass these cultural concepts as lexical items. Singaporeans constantly advise each other that eating too much durian, mango or chocolate will make you heaty, and such an indulgence has to be countered by consuming something cooling, say, mangosteen or coconut water.

Such widespread currency of these words in new Englishes has been recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary: the words “heaty” and “cooling” were included in its December 2016 update, the former first documented in print usage in 1940, and the latter as far back as 1842.”

Please click on the following link for the complete article:
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/2067467/how-heaty-and-cooling-made-it-oxford-english-dictionary

Source: SCMP