Staff & Student Area

This course examines fundamental differences between English and Chinese from the perspective of contrastive linguistics, with an emphasis on grammar, syntax and discourse pragmatics. It introduces students to an array of techniques that can be used to negotiate these structural differences in translation. Throughout the course, students will be trained to reflect critically on the notion that language is an inherent constituent of culture (and, conversely, that culture is embedded within the innate fabric of language), and to appreciate how knowledge of contrastive linguistics contributes to our understanding of different cognitive systems and discourse orientations across cultures. The implications of all of this for intercultural communication will also be explored.

Assessment: 100% coursework