The Fusional Linguistics Initiative presents, Zhongmin Chen (Fudan University) speaking on “Re-evaluating the Development of the Chinese Language: the ‘One-center Multi-Layer’ Development Hypothesis.” This talk will take place Monday, February 3 at 1:20pm in Humanities 1 – Room 210.

Language is humanity’s most vital tool for communication, making the study of its evolution inherently linked to the dynamics of human activity, society, history, and other influencing factors. Based on the historical and cultural contexts of language development, the evolution of language can be broadly categorized into three models:

1. The Family Tree Model – exemplified by Indo-European languages.
2. The Polycentric Mixed Model – observed in regions such as Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Balkans.
3. The One-Center Multi-Layer Model – characteristic of East and Southeast Asian languages, including Chinese.

This presentation delves into the historical and social contexts underlying these evolutionary models and highlights their defining characteristics. It also demonstrates the methodology used to analyze historical linguistic layers, with examples drawn from the lexical, syntactic, and phonetic features of various Chinese dialects and East Asian languages.

Zhongmin Chen (陈忠敏) is Professor of Chinese Linguistics at Fudan University (Shanghai). He received his Ph.D. in Linguistics from University of California, Berkeley. He works on experimental phonetics, historical linguistics, and Chinese dialectology.