Mapping the Linguistic Service-scape: A Tri-dimensional Analysis of Institutional Language Services at China International Import Expo (CIIE)
Seminar
Date
July 09, 2026 (Thu)
Venue
Time
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM
Speaker
Mapping the Linguistic Service-scape: A Tri-dimensional Analysis of Institutional Language Services at China International Import Expo (CIIE)
Professor Ye ZHU
Institute of Language Sciences
Shanghai International Studies University
July 9, 2026 (Thursday)
12:45 - 14:00
Room 411-412 Meng Wah Complex, HKU
Chair: Professor George Jiang
Abstract:
In this talk, the linguistic landscape (LL) is not merely concepturlized as a passive reflection of top-down language policy, but as an active, managed “linguistic service-scape.” Based on a visual corpus of over 300 photographs and digital screenshots captured at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), I investigate how various thematic signs across physical, digital, and fluid domains interlock to construct a comprehensive system of institutional public language services, and argue that the production of this service-scape operates through a tri-dimensional spatial matrix. By shifting the analytical lens from language (in-)visibility to language service delivery, this research offers new theoretical insights into urban linguistics and contemporary transnational spatial governance.
About the speaker:
Professor Ye Zhu is Professor of Linguistics in the Institute of Language Sciences at Shanghai International Studies University. He is currently the deputy director of China Center for Language Planning and Policy Studies (CCLPPS), a national research base of the State Language Commission and a national language policy think tank. Professor Zhu serves as Executive Council Member of the China Association of Educational Linguistics and Council Member of the Sociolinguistics Division of the Chinese Language Society. His research interests include language planning and policy, foreign language education, and technology-enhanced language learning. Professor Zhu has published widely in both English and Chinese, with books, journal articles, book chapters and newspaper articles. His latest research articles have been published in System, RELC Journal, Applied Linguistics, Current Issues in Language Planning, International Journal of Multilingualism, and Linguistics and Education.
~ This seminar is sponsored by Tin Ka Ping Visiting Fellowship Scheme ~