Agenda

• 09:30-10:00
  Registration
• 10:00-10:30
  Opening Remarks
• 10:30-12:00
  Distinguished Lecture & Interactive Q&A

Abstract

Language is a mirror of the mind, the cognitive system of the brain. Linguistic theory seeks to understand the nature of that system by studying observable human language behavior—the way it works, how it is acquired and why things are the way they are. My talk will outline how, with a biolinguistic approach, Generative Grammar answers some of these fundamental questions of scientific inquiry. Using cross-linguistic data, I will illustrate how the nature of linguistic knowledge and its acquisition are accounted for, and how patterns of language variation both contribute to and raise new challenges for linguistic theory. I also compare generative grammar with the explosive realm of generative AI, and conclude that, although AI as a remarkable technological achievement does not address the scientific questions concerning linguistic theory, its remarkable storage and processing capacities can be recruited to aid linguistic research with data collection and analytic efficiency. In turn, theoretical research outcomes can be used to optimize relevant AI systems. A partnership between the two fields would contribute to the mutual goals of scientific research and technological innovations.

About the speaker

• Professor C.-T. James Huang is a Yushan Scholar and Chair Professor in the Department of English at National Taiwan Normal University, and a Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Linguistics at Harvard University. He is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work in syntactic theory, the syntax-semantics interface, and Chinese linguistics. His distinguished achievements have earned him fellowships in the European Academy of Sciences, Academia Sinica, and the Linguistic Society of America. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of how linguistic structures mirror cognitive processes, offering profound insights into the universal and language-specific aspects of syntax and meaning.

• He has received many recognitions from leading international research institutions and won many awards, as listed below:

  2019	Member, Academia Europaea
  2016	Academician, Academia Sinica
  2015	Fellow, Linguistic Society of America
  2014	Life-time Achievement Award, Linguistic Society of Taiwan
  2014	NSC Visiting Chair, Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica

• https://scholar.harvard.edu/ctjhuang