The PhD/MA Program in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

Time: Thursday, November 6, 2025, 12:30PM - 2:00 PM 
Venue: Ji-tao Bldg. 340313
Lecturer: Dr. Alexander Adelaar / Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne & Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Asian Studies, Palacký University (Olomouc)
Topic:  Anticipating sequences in West Formosan languages: Formal aspects, spread, applications, origins 
Abstract: Anticipating sequences are elements of the main verb that are prefixed to the auxiliary (which as a rule precedes the main verb). These elements are usually formal, typically constituting the first one or two syllables of the lexical verb. However, other elements show some semantic or emblematic agreement with the main verb. In this talk I discuss the geographical and sociolinguistic spread of anticipating sequences. I also discuss their possible origins both with regard to their individual forms as to their appearance as a category. Anticipating sequences occur in West Formosan languages including (at least) Saisiyat, Thao, Bunun, Lha'aloa, Siraya.
Bio: Dr. Alexander Adelaar is a Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne and a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Asian Studies, Palacký University (Olomouc). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Humanities Australia and associated member of the Académie Malgache. His research is on the structure and history of Austronesian languages, with emphasis on varieties of Malay and the languages of Borneo, Madagascar and Taiwan. 
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