Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
How Does Script Want to be Read? Siegen Chou, Eugene Shen, and the Horizontalization of Chinese
A discussion by Thomas S. Mullaney of the psychological implications of re-orienting Chinese script and the work of Chinese PhD students at Stanford University.
Thomas S. Mullaney
Stanford
Over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, increasing numbers of foreign neologisms began to appear in Chinese texts. These parenthetical terms from French, German, English, and other languages, alongside chemical and mathematical equations, were written horizontally, creating a mismatch of sorts with the vertically aligned Chinese writing of the day. A radical solution ultimately prevailed on the mainland: to horizontalize Chinese. Examining the early horizontalization of Chinese script, this talk focuses on the work of overseas Chinese PhD students in Stanford University who helped pioneer the subfield of "Chinese reading psychology," propelled by concerns over whether the reorientation of Chinese might not sacrifice something critical to the way that Chinese script demands to be read.
Featured Articles
We note the passing of many prominent individuals who played some role in U.S.-China affairs, whether in politics, economics or in helping people in one place understand the other.
Events
Ying Zhu looks at new developments for Chinese and global streaming services.
David Zweig examines China's talent recruitment efforts, particularly towards those scientists and engineers who left China for further study. U.S. universities, labs and companies have long brought in talent from China. Are such people still welcome?