Study on the Discourse with Global Sight
—Visit paid by Professor Paul Anthony Chilton from Lancaster University
April 14, 2010
On April 9th, 2010, Professor Paul Anthony Chilton, from Lancaster University paid a visit to SIS, ZJU, answering
the university’s invitation, and held a seminar on discourse studies in the East 5-201. Professor Chilton, a notable
international expert of the discourse studies and research, is the initiator and main editor of the Journal of
Language and Politics, which is the index periodical of SSCI. His fields of study include the political discourse
studies, contemporary Chinese discourse studies, metaphorical theory and cognitive semantics. At present he
is mainly undertaking the research on the Discourse Space Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis.
At 4 pm on April 9th, Professor Chilton opened the seminar entitled “Discourse Studies East-West: Toward an
Open Dialogue” amid warm applause given by teachers and students. At the beginning of the seminar, the
Professor made an introduction as well as a summary of the discourse studies. He illustrated some problems
concerning eastern and western discourse studies, tracing some classical allusions. During the seminar, he
enunciated some of his views over some essential words in Chinese culture: such as self-criticism (x?ng 省),
harmony (héxié 和谐) and the rectification of names (zhèngmíng正名), and expressed his thoughts on both
oriental and occidental discourse studies. At the last section of the seminar, the Professor invited present
scholars and students to participate in the discussion.
To research discourse with global sight, scholars from east and west create a platform of academic exchange
and strive indomitably to reach the academic summit together. The desirable visit and the successful seminar
given by Professor Paul Chilton built a stage which made the academic and cultural communication possible
for students and faculties in the SIS, and at the same time helped students attending the seminar better
understand the discourse studies.
(Translated by WANG Ge’rui)