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Department of Chinese, Translation & Linguistics Seminar An ICM Approach to (Chinese) Zero Subject By Professor Xiong Xueliang (熊學亮) Fudan University Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm Date: Monday, 05 March 2001 Venue: CTL Conference Room B7533, CityU Abstract As ICM (Idealized Cognitive Model) successfully incorporates both denotational and representational sides of meaning, it may well help to depict some language phenomena unaccountable within formal frameworks. In this paper, therefore, I will concoct an ICM theory, subcategorize the Chinese first-person zero subject, i.e. the ♀ phenomenon, into ♀e type (zero exophora) and ♀a type (zero anaphora), contrast it with the typical [Xr ↘ A] format in English framework, and then argue that first person zero anaphora in Chinese boasts of a number of other analytic possibilities such as [Xr ↘ ♀a], [♀e ↘ ♀a], etc. which consequently give rise to an A model (anaphoric), a B model (inferential) and a C model (grammatical) in the description of the ♀ phenomenon. The conclusion is that as C model and [♀] seem to be more prototypical than A and B models in theory and [我], [自己], etc. in data respectively, an ICM approach would be most desirable in keeping some optimal balance between the decency of the theory and the actuality of the data. Xiong Xueliang, Professor (Doctoral Tutor) in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Fudan University, received his Ph.D in Linguistics therein in 1991. Before that, he taught various courses at Hua Dong (East China) Normal University for 9 years and spent 1 year at University of Amsterdam, Holland, writing his Ph.D Dissertation under the guidance of Professor van Dijk. Since 1991, he has been working at Fudan, offering courses like English Grammar, Linguistics, Semantics, Pragmatics, etc. to students at undergraduate level, MA level and Doctoral level while coaching numerousPh.D. and MA students. He used to concentrate on traditional English grammar, and later moved to generative linguistics, discourse analysis, pragmatics, etc. In the past few years, his research has been basically conducted cognitively and he published a book under the rubric of Cognitive Pragmatics during his 1997-8 year-long stay at University of Oregon and Stanford University in U.S.A. Apart from his active engagement in several research projects at the national-level which he undertook and brought to successful fruition, he had published around 100 articles and 8 books by the end of 2000. Now he holds a few important titles in several all-China academic associations. Enquiries: 2788-8705 ___________________ All are welcome ____________________