Educational Background:

2011-2014   PhD in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing (degree received June 2014)

Thesis Title: Argument Structure and Its Syntactic Realization (written in Mandarin Chinese)

Supervisor: Hu Jianhua

2009-2011   M.A. in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics in Foreign Languages 

Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai (degree received June 2011)

Thesis Title: The Morphology-Syntax Interface: A Case Study in Chinese Verb-Noun Compounds (written in English)

Supervisor: Hua Dongfan

2005-2009   B.A. in English Language and Literature 

Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai (degree received June 2009)

Positions Held:

Since 2023/1      Associate Professor 

Institute of Language Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University

2019/3-2020/10  Visiting scholar 

                           Department of East Asian Studies, The University of Arizona

2016/12-2022/12Assistant professor

Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University

2014/11-2016/12Post-doctoral program 

Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University

Research Interests:

Broad research interests: formal syntax, lexical semantics, argument structure language acquisition  

Specific research topics:   

1) syntax of verbs in Shanghainese and its comparison to other Wu dialects and Mandarin Chinese, with special reference to morphology, argument structure and lexical semantics

2) children’s grammatical acquisition of Mandarin Chinese and Shanghainese

3) the internal structure of noun phrases in Mandarin Chinese and Shanghainese

4) functional categories in Mandarin Chinese, with comparison to Japanese

5) bimodal bilingual acquisition

6) syntax and semantics of sign language

Publications:

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles:

Zhu, Jialei. to appear. The Multifunctional Morpheme -dɤ in Shanghai Wu. East Asian Languages and Linguistics. 

Zhu, Jialei. to appear. Disposal Constructions as Differential Object Marking: The Case of Shanghainese nᴇ⁵². Journal of Chinese Linguistics.

Zhu, Jialei & Jianrong Yu. 2024. The Lexical Semantics of Motion Verbs 奔, 走, and 跑 in Shanghainese and Mandarin Chinese: Implications for Theories of Verbal Meaning. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 33, 229–257.

Zhu, Jialei. 2023. The syntax of “verb-result-tak” in Shanghainese. Language Science 22(6): 612-623.

Zhu, Jialei. 2023. A Root-Sensitive Approach to Event Structure: The state of the art in theories of argument structure. Journal of PLA University of Foreign Languages 46(3): 78-86.

Zhu, Jialei. 2023. A more special use of the third person singular pronoun in Shanghainese. Language and Linguistics 24(2): 391-436.

Zhu, Jialei. 2022. The syntax and semantics of the inner aspect marker -tak in Shanghainese. Contemporary Linguistics 24(5): 730-749.

Zhu, Jialei & Yimin Sheng. 2021. Resultative serial verb constructions in Shaoxing Wu and Mandarin Resultative verb compounds: A parametric view. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 49(2): 330-378.

Zhu, Jialei & Feng-Hsi Liu. 2020. Separable verb-object compounds in Chinese and the division of labor between morphology and syntax: The analysis of cognate object revisited. Contemporary Linguistics 22: 317-334.

Zhu, Jialei. 2020. The syntax of verb reduplication in Shanghainese. Studies of the Chinese Language 3: 334-350.

Sheng, Yimin & Jialei Zhu. 2020. On the syntax and semantics of split resultatives of Shaoxing dialect in Zhejiang Province. Dialect 3: 311-320.

Zhu, Jialei & Dongfan Hua. 2018. Passive active sentence – a new perspective on the syntax and semantics of BA-construction. Language Teaching and Linguistic Studies 1: 56-68.

Zhu, Jialei. 2017. Flip-flop construction and patient-subject sentences. Chinese Teaching in the World 3: 291-310.

Zhu, Jialei. 2017. The review of argument structure under the Light Verb Hypothesis. Bulletin of Linguistic Studies 17: 174-197.

Zhu, Jialei. 2016. A morpho-syntactic analysis of Chinese verb resultative compound under the framework of the Theta System. Language Science 6: 571-587.

Zhu, Jialei & Jianhua Hu. 2015. Theta System at the concept-syntax interface. Contemporary Linguistics 1: 1-22. (Reprinted in Information Center for Social Science of RUC)

Zhu, Jialei. 2014. Language universals and variations from the perspective of agreement and movement – a review on Miyagawa 2010. Contemporary Linguistics 4: 483-489.

Monographs:

Zhu, Jialei. 2021. On the Syntax and Semantics of VP in Shanghai Dialect. Shanghai: Zhongxi Book Company.

Zhu, Jialei. (to appear).Argument Structure and Its Syntactic Realization in Mandarin Chinese: An Interface Perspective. Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press.

Grants:

As principal investigator:

2019-2024“Argument structure and its syntactic realization in Mandarin Chinese on interface” (granted by The National Social Science Fund of China, 19FYYB0121, Grant 25w RMB *SGD $50k)

2019-2023“A study of the syntax and semantics of Shanghainese verb phrases” (granted by Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Fund, 2019EYY002, Grant 6w RMB *SGD $12k)

2017-2019 “A cross-linguistic study on resultative constructions in Chinese, English and Japanese from the perspective of the syntax-semantics interface” (granted by Shanghai International Studies University, Grant 2w RMB *SGD $5k)

2015-2017“Thematic structure and argument realization in Mandarin Chinese from the perspective of syntax-semantics mismatch” (granted by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Grant 2w RMB *SGD $5k)

As major member:

2015-2022   “The acquisition of grammar by Shanghainese-speaking Children as studied from the perspective of parametric variation in Chinese dialects” (the Research Grants Council’s General Research Fund)

            Principal Investigator: Thomas Hun-Tak LEE

            Responsibilities: data collection (in Shanghai), transcription, corpus  

 building, data analysis

2014-2017   “A study of prominence and locality in argument selection” (funded

            by National Science Fund of China, 14AYY016),

 Principal Investigator: Jianhua Hu

 Responsibilities: Leader of the Sub-project “Chinese-specific     

 constructions and the theta system”

2011-2016  “Language acquisition and cognitive development” (funded by

           National Science Fund of China, 13BYY005),

Principal Investigator: Jianhua Hu

Responsibilities: data collection, transcription, analysis and corpus   

building

Awards & Honours:

2020 DongHaoLanSheng Award of Excellence for Teaching and Research (The 3^rd Prize) awarded by Shanghai International University

2018Outstanding paper (“Flip-flop construction and patient-subject sentences) awarded by Shanghai Language Association

2016Outstanding PhD dissertation during 2013-2015, awarded by China Academy of Social Science

2015The 2^nd Prize Fellowship, from Chinese Linguistics Summer School

2014The 1^st Prize Fellowship, from Chinese Linguistics Summer School

2013The 1^st Prize Fellowship, from Chinese Linguistics Summer School

Professional Membership:

2014-International Chinese Association of Linguistics

2025-Executive Council Member, Formal Linguistics Committee of the China Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese

My research interests include the morphology–syntax interface and the syntax–semantics interface, and I am also engaged in research on child language acquisition and language development. In recent years, my work has mainly focused on the argument structure of Chinese verbs. In the coming years, my research will concentrate on cross-linguistic studies of syntactic structures, as well as the syntactic structure of Shanghainese and its differences from Mandarin Chinese. In addition, I am highly interested in empirical research and have participated in the construction of corpora on child language development in both Mandarin Chinese and Shanghainese.

Students interested in language structure and linguistic form, dialect syntax, or child language acquisition are warmly welcome to apply. Preference will be given to applicants with strong English reading skills, some academic writing ability in English, and a background in linguistics.