The Centre for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, formerly known as the Linguistics Teaching and Research Section, was founded in the late 1970s. The first director of the Center was the late Professor XU Guozhang, a renowned linguist in China. His successors include Professor ZHOU Mozhi, Professor YANG Xinnan, Professor LIU Runqing, Professor JIANG Zukang, Professor CHEN Guohua, Professor WU Yi’an, Professor WU Qing (acting director), Professor JIN Limin, and Professor LAN Chun. The current director is Professor YANG Xueyan.

Since it was founded, the Centre has been devoted to the teaching and research in both theoretical linguistics and applied linguistics. By the end of 2010, nearly 320 MA students and 8 PhD students have graduated from the Centre, while altogether 64 MA and PhD students are currently enrolled in the Centre. The MA courses offered by the Center include: Research Methods, Academic Writing, Theories and Schools of Linguistics, Systemic Functional Grammar, Semantics, Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics, Psycholinguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, Rhetoric, Discourse Analysis, Stylistics and Lexicography. The Centre also offers courses to undergraduate students, such as General Linguistics, Lexicology and Stylistics.

Apart from teaching and supervising MA and PhD dissertations, faculty members of the Centre carry out academic research vigorously in such areas as cognitive linguistics, functional linguistics, pragmatics, second language acquisition, applied linguistics and English education, having received grants from the National Social Science Fund, the Education Ministry or Beijing Foreign Studies University (for details please refer to the CV of each individual faculty member).

Faculty Members

Professor WU Yi’an, research areas: Applied Linguistics, English Education, Semantics, Comparison between English and Chinese

Professor DU Xuezeng, research areas: Sociolinguistics, Language and Culture

Professor LAN Chun, research areas: Pragmatics, Cognitive Linguistics, Rhetoric, Translation

Professor JIN Limin, research areas: Second Language Acquisition, English Education

Professor YANG Xueyan, research areas: Functional Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Stylistics, Applied Linguistics, Translation Studies

Associate Professor CHEN Yaping, research areas: Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics

Associate Professor GUO Shiying, research areas: Lexicography, Lexicology

Associate Professor ZHANG Lian, research areas: Applied Linguistics, English Education, Second Language Acquisition

Associate Professor CHEN Hui, research areas: Stylistics, Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics

Associate Professor LIN Yan, research areas: Second Language Acquisition

Associate Professor WEI Zheng, research area: Second Language Acquisition

Associate Professor WANG Xiaoying, research area: Applied Linguistics

Lecturer LIANG Hao, research areas: Historical Linguistics, Comparison between English and Chinese

Lecturer YANG Lifang, research area: Applied Linguistics

Lecturer YI Yan, research area: Comparison between English and Chinese

Lecturer LIU Feng, research area: Applied Linguistics

Lecturer HUANG Jun, research area: Applied Linguistics