To promote learning and research in sign language linguistics and related fields, the Institute of Language Sciences at Shanghai International Studies University is organizing a series of events featuring expert lectures, teaching and research case presentations, and hands-on practice. The series will systematically introduce fundamental concepts in sign language corpus linguistics, present common sign language corpus resources and the core functions of corpus tools, and, through examples of teaching applications and research cases, share ideas for applying sign language corpora in foreign language teaching and research. The goal is to help university faculty, students, and sign language enthusiasts gain a solid understanding of sign language basics, become familiar with fundamental paradigms in sign language linguistics, and engage with sign language research.
The Institute plans to host the “Sign Language Linguistics Research and Practice Series” annually in October in an in-person format. Please refer to the Institute’s official website and WeChat public account for specific scheduling.
This series consists of a 5-day program divided into a Sign Language Intensive Learning Course (October 18–19, 2025) and a Sign Language Research and Application Course (October 25–26 and November 1, 2025). The Sign Language Intensive Learning Course is designed for beginners or those with no prior knowledge of sign language, enabling participants to strengthen their sign language skills over just two days to achieve basic communication proficiency. The Sign Language Research and Application Course covers various branches of sign language linguistics—phonetics, phonology, lexicon, syntax, pragmatics, and corpus linguistics—through expert lectures, guided research demonstrations, presentations, and hands-on practice, allowing participants to gain a practical understanding of sign language research methods and analytical techniques.
01 Course Schedule
02 Registration and Payment
Fees:
1. Sign Language Intensive Learning Course: 1,000 RMB/person
2. Sign Language Research and Application Course: 2,600 RMB/person
3. Group registration (5+ participants): 10% discount (not combinable with student discount)
4. Students: 20% discount (valid student ID required)
Registration Instructions:
After registration and payment, please contact Ms. Zhang via WeChat (WeChat ID: 18061256876) to be added to the course group.
For further details about the course content, please contact Ms. Wang via WeChat (WeChat ID: w1183274821).
- For group registration, please contact Ms. Zhang at 18061256876.
- Participants may withdraw and request a refund before the start of the training program. After the program begins, withdrawals will be considered as voluntary abandonment, and no refunds will be issued.
03 Registration Method
1. Individual Registration: Scan the QR code to register. Please ensure accurate submission of personal and payment information. (All information must be entered correctly, as it cannot be modified later.)
2. Group / Bank Transfer Registration: Before registering, please contact Ms. Zhang via WeChat (18061256876) to confirm group/bank transfer registration details. Payment for group or bank transfer registration should be made via bank transfer, with “Institution + Number of Participants” noted in the transfer remarks. (Individual registrants should use their full name.) Bank account details are as follows:
04 Check-in Location & Registration Period
Check-in Times:
1. Sign Language Intensive Learning Course: October 18, 2025 (7:30–8:00)
2. Sign Language Research and Application Course: October 25, 2025 (7:30–8:00)
Check-in & Venue: SISU Songjiang Campus, Building 5, Room 136
Registration Period:
1. Sign Language Intensive Learning Course: From now until October 18, 2025
2. Sign Language Research and Application Course: From now until October 25, 2025
05 Important Notes
1. This training series will be conducted in-person.
2. During the training period, Shanghai International Studies University will provide invoicing services and training support. Invoices will be issued under the category “Training Fees.”
3. A certificate of completion will be issued by the organizer, bearing the official seal.
4. For in-person participants, accommodation and meals are self-arranged.
06 Contact Information
Institute of Language Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University
Ms. Zhang: 18061256876
07 Instructor Team
Zhang Jisheng holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and is a Professor in the Department of English, School of Foreign Languages, East China Normal University. His research interests include generative phonology, Chinese phonology, and sign language phonology. He has published over 60 papers in domestic and international academic journals such as Lingua, Journal of Chinese Linguistics, Studies of the Chinese Language, Contemporary Linguistics, Journal of Foreign Languages, and Language Sciences. His representative works include Shaoxing Phonology (2006) and Shanghai Sign Language Phonology (2019). He contributed the entry “Chinese Syllable Structure” to the Oxford University Press’s Encyclopedia of Linguistics. He has received the Ministry of Education’s Award for Outstanding Research Achievement in Higher Education (Humanities and Social Sciences) and five Shanghai Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievement Awards.
Lin Hao is an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Language Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University (since 2023). He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Fudan University (2011–2016), with a research focus on sign language linguistics. He was a Visiting Scholar and Research Assistant in the Department of Linguistics and Psychology at Harvard University (2021–2023). His research is dedicated to sign language studies, encompassing five main areas:
1. Sign language linguistics: phonetics, phonology, lexicon, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of sign languages;
2. Sign language corpora, dictionaries, translation, and acquisition: research combining language with application;
3. Cognitive studies of sign language: empirical research on the relationship between sign language, deaf individuals, and cognition;
4. Historical and cultural studies of sign language: sign language history, cross-cultural communication, language contact, etc.;
5. Sociolinguistic studies of sign language: sign language and deaf education, deaf communities and social policy, etc.
Ni Yingjie comes from a deaf family and is proficient in Chinese Sign Language and Chinese. He serves as the Director of Sign Language Instruction at Accessible Sign Language (Guangzhou) Service Co., Ltd., a Distinguished Researcher at the China Sign Language and Braille Promotion Center, and a Distinguished Sign Language Expert at Shanghai International Studies University. He is the second chief editor of the sign language textbooks Sign Language in Ten Days and Sign Language in Ten Weeks. He directed the accessible integration drama Paper Crane. He has many years of experience in sign language teaching, accessible arts instruction, and accessible integration work.
Cai Weiyu is a Distinguished Expert of the Sign Language Team at Shanghai International Studies University and a Sign Language Researcher at the China Braille and Sign Language Promotion Service Center. He serves as a sign language instructor for SISU’s elective courses (Introduction to Sign Language and Intermediate Chinese Sign Language) and as an advisor to the SISU Heart Dance Sign Language Club. He has been engaged in sign language instruction in Shanghai for many years. He is proficient in Chinese Sign Language and has a working knowledge of American Sign Language, International Sign, and Japanese Sign Language. With extensive teaching experience and a solid foundation in sign language linguistic theory, he specializes in flexible and interactive teaching methods and is dedicated to the promotion of Chinese Sign Language.
Li Liangliang is a Lecturer in the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures at North Sichuan Medical College and holds a Ph.D. in Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from Shanghai International Studies University. Her main research interests lie in sign language linguistics and psycholinguistics/neurolinguistics. She employs techniques such as EEG and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the cognitive processes and neural substrates underlying phonetic, semantic, and morphological processing of sign language vocabulary.
Workshop Survey
If you are interested in this workshop, please participate in our survey. We will carefully consider your feedback and use it to optimize our training content and arrangements.
Survey link: https://www.wjx.cn/vm/eS0aEtp.aspx
