Mr. Li Fanggui's oral history

Author: Li Fangguì
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Li Fangguì (1902-1987) was one of the pioneers of modern Chinese linguistics. In 1924, he went to the United States for studies and was taught by renowned linguistics masters such as Edward Sapir and Leonard Bloomfield. After returning to China, he worked at the Institute of History and Philology of the Central Academy of Sciences for many years and was elected as the first academician. Later, he taught at prestigious universities in the U.S. such as Harvard, Yale, and Washington University for over two decades. He made pioneering contributions to the study of minority languages in southwestern China, as well as in historical comparative linguistics, historical phonology of Chinese, and the study of North American Indigenous languages. He is hailed as the "father of non-Chinese linguistics." This book is a recorded oral history left by Professor Li Fangguì in his later years, vividly documenting his life and academic career, reflecting much of the evolution of 20th-century linguistics. It is suitable for linguistics students and teachers, as well as researchers and enthusiasts of the history of modern Chinese scholarship.