Australian Professor Zuckermann Lectures in SHNU

SHNU: Ghil’ad Zuckermann, Professor of the University of Adelaide, Australian, came to SHNU and gave a lecture on “Critical Thinking, Originality, Trans-Disciplinarity and Communication” on November 12 at SHNU’s invitation. The lecture belongs to the 20th Huaying Forum of SHNU Foreign Languages College.

According to Prof. Zuckermann, "Israeli" is a Semito–European hybrid language, simultaneously based on Hebrew, Yiddish and other languages such as Russian and Polish. His multi-parental hybridization model is in contrast with both the traditional revival view (i.e. that "Israeli" is Hebrew revived) and the relexification position (i.e. that "Israeli" is Yiddish with Hebrew words). In the lecture, he explores the characteristics of critical thinking and the making of original ideas. He gives examples of Hegelian (actually Fichte's) thesis-antithesis-synthesis dialectic, which can explain the development of, for example, music or linguistic theories. He also champions an 'on the one hand' – 'on the other hand' (Jewish) way of thinking, as opposed to a Black & White, Right & Wrong mindset. Prof. Zuckermann then demonstrates how a dichotomous approach results in cross-cultural miscommunication. The lecture also emphasizes the advantages of a trans-disciplinary approach as a way of generating new, hybrid theories.

The interactions and exchanges with Prof. Zuckermann at the end of the lecture benefited students a lot and inspired more thinking about the theme.

Zuckerman is Chair of Linguistics and Endangered Languages at the University of Adelaide and he holds an Australian Research Council Discovery Fellowship, as well as a Project 211 Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Shanghai International Studies University.