12th SUMMER SCHOOL IN CHINESE LINGUISTICS

Palacký University Olomouc, the Czech Republic 

 

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/eacl2025-summer-school

 The 12th edition (2025) of the EACL Summer School in Chinese Linguistics will be held from 16th June to 20th June 2025 in the Department of Asian Studies at Palacký University Olomouc, the Czech Republic.

The goal of the summer school is to provide an opportunity for MA and PhD students affiliated to European universities to be exposed to areas in Chinese linguistics which might not be available in their home institution.

The 12th edition of the EACL Summer School in Chinese Linguistics has the following 4 courses (for each course, 1.5 hours per class, 3 classes in total):

• “Topics in the syntax of predicate phrases in Mandarin” (Huba Bartos, Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics)
• “Chinese morphology” (Bianca Basciano, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia)
• “The Chinese nominal” (Joanna Ut-Seong Sio, Palacký University Olomouc)
• “Invitation to Phonological tone” (Lian Hee Wee, Hong Kong Baptist University)

Topics in the syntax of predicate phrases in Mandarin (Huba BARTOS)

This short course focuses on three “classic” topics: (i) the so-called verb-copy construction(s); (ii) the role of DOU when its associate appears to its right; (iii) the relation/difference between preverbal manner adverbials and postverbal descriptive/resultative “complements”.

In the classes we are going to review the most important recent proposals concerning these constructions.

%% Students will be expected to read two papers in advance, to facilitate active discussion during the classes. %%

Chinese morphology (Bianca BASCIANO)

This course provides an introduction to the morphology of Chinese. It begins with an overview of the main typological features of the language, followed by an exploration of key concepts such as morphemes, bound and free roots, and words. The course then focuses on the primary word-formation processes in Chinese, including compounding and derivation. 

The Chinese nominal (Joanna Ut-Seong SIO)

The course provides an overview of the Chinese nominal. It covers (i) the functions and properties of different kinds of classifiers and nouns, (ii) the encoding of referential properties, and (iii) nominal modification. Data from various Chinese varieties will be discussed.

Invitation to Phonological Tone (Lian Hee WEE)

How are tones produced in languages, and how can we describe them? In this course, we shall see how tones behave in languages, how they change, move around, and even evolve into very complex structures that include register, contours, and features. We shall see how they might connect to other aspects of a language’s phonology such as the syllable, foot, and phrases.

There will also be 2 special seminars (1.5 hours per seminar):

“A practical introduction to Shuo Wen Jie Zi” (David Uher and Tereza Slamenikova, Palacký University Olomouc)

“Keywords of post-1989 intellectual discourse: metaphors of social change and intellectual choice in the ‘debate on the spirit of the humanities’ (1993-1995)” (Giorgio Strafella, Palacký University Olomouc)

Students must attend all classes in all 4 courses, and fulfill other course requirements, if any. All students who successfully finish the 4 courses will receive a certificate of attendance during the social dinner on the 20th of June 2025.

Who can apply?

MA and PhD students affiliated to European universities are eligible to apply. Applications that do not correspond to these criteria may be considered if there are vacancies.

Attendance fees?

An attendance fee of 60€/person will be charged. This is to cover snacks/coffee/tea during the summer school plus the cost of a social dinner on the 20th of June 2025.

Please note that transportation and accommodation costs are covered by the participants.

The organizer can help to arrange for accommodation in student dormitories. For applicants who want to stay in student dormitories, please indicate that in the application letter. The dormitory rooms are generally for 2-3 students, and it costs around 20 €/per person/night. Allocation of such rooms is subject to availability.

All participants, except for MA students, are required to be EACL members. Please see here for information for becoming a member:

https://www.chineselinguistics.eu/membership/ 

How to apply?

Candidates should send their application in one PDF file to the following address:
joannautseong.sio@upol.cz 

Please use the candidate’s last name as filename for the PDF.

The application should include 2 parts, as listed below:

Part 1:

An academic CV containing the following information:

1. Name, gender, email address
2. Name of your university and department; name of your advisor / main teacher in Chinese and/or linguistics. No recommendation is needed.
3. Information on your previous academic training, including the year you started your Master/PhD course; information on your training in linguistics and in Chinese.
4. Main fields of interest and the subject of your MA/PhD research.
5. List of publications and/or talks/posters at conferences, if any.

Part 2:

A short motivation letter (10-15 lines) explaining why you want to attend the summer school. (This is very important for the selection procedure).

Deadline?

Applications must be received by 2nd March 2025. In the application email, please indicate whether you want the organizer to arrange accommodation for you at the university’s student dormitories. Late submissions will not be accepted. Prospective participants will be notified by March 31, 2025. The board of EACL functions as the admission committee.