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    28 June 2026, No. 3 Previous Issue   
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    Local Grammar System for Meaning Studies: The Inheritance and Theoretical Advancement of Firthian and Sinclairian Theories
    ZHEN Fengchao
    2026, 26 (3):  1-20.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.001
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    As a cutting-edge approach to meaning studies in corpus linguistics, local grammar still requires systematic clarification regarding its theories, categories and research methodology. Grounded in Firthian and Sinclairian academic traditions, this study proposes the following core argument: local grammar aims to reconstruct a paradigm for meaning analysis rather than make amendments to traditional grammars. Local grammar specifically defines a shift from the pursuit of universal principles to the description of local patterns, from form-driven approaches to meaning, and function-driven perspectives, and from static prescriptive system to a use-based dynamic descriptive system. Based on those arguements and the previous related research, the paper proposes a three-tier local grammar analytic framework, aiming to systematically reveal how meaning is constructed and realized at different linguistic levels. The first tier, the local grammar of compound lexical items, seeks to characterize the structured patterns of meaning in lexical combinations; the second tier, the local grammar of speech acts, aims to analyze the functional realization of meaning in contexts of specific communicative intentions; the third tier, the local grammar of discourse, is designed to describe the macro-constructive mechanisms of meaning in textual organization. It is indicated that while the three kinds of local grammars vary in their orientations, they share a methodological core grounded in language data in actual use, focusing on the systematic co-selection of form and meaning in specific contexts. This paper aims to provide a clear conceptual framework and methodological reference for local grammar studies, thereby advancing the field from fragmented case analyses toward systematic theoretical construction.

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    Speech and Language as Biosocial Markers for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: Theoretical Construction and Multidimensional Framework
    DING Hongwei
    2026, 26 (3):  41-50.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.004
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    Early detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in older adults is pivotal for dementia intervention. As a faithful indicator of brain function, speech and language offer an ideal non-invasive monitoring window. This study reviews neurophysiological foundations and assessment paradigms to analyze MCI-related anomalies across acoustic, semantic, and syntactic dimensions. Addressing the limitations of purely structural linguistic analysis, we propose redefining speech and language as biosocial markers. This framework integrates emotional prosody and pragmatic mechanisms (e.g., conversational alignment and repair) to capture early, occult social cognitive deficits. Finally, we discuss the technical and ethical challenges of interactive signal acquisition and envision the potential for home-based ecological monitoring. This multidimensional approach provides a theoretical framework with enhanced ecological validity and clinical interpretability for precision MCI screening.

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    Four Decades of Cognitive Pragmatics Research Abroad: Its Phases, Core Issues and Prospects
    WEN Xu, DENG Yunyi
    2026, 26 (3):  51-61.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.005
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    Cognitive pragmatics is an emerging interdisciplinary subject that integrates the psychological cognitive mechanisms of cognitive linguistics with core elements of pragmatics such as context and speech acts. Over the past four decades, it has developed into a hot research area in the development of linguistics. This paper employs descriptive statistical analysis through the comparison and examination of relevant literature, with the aim of systematically clarifying the developmental trajectory, core issues, and current frontiers of cognitive pragmatics research abroad. Research findings indicate that the field has undergone three de velopmental phases: the theoretical foundation phase (1985-1999), the theoretical deepening and innovative phase (2000-2010), and the phase of empirical expansion and interdisciplinary integration (2011 to present). Core issues span five dimensions: mechanisms of pragmatic reasoning, the psychological construction and dynamic integration of contextual meaning, the modularity debate, the sociocultural turn, and the assessment and intervention of cognitive-pragmatic competencies. Current research faces several major problems, including: divergences between cognitive and pragmatic approaches regarding conceptual definitions, difficulties in achieving a “stable equilibrium” across dual dimensions, the lack of a systematic explanatory framework for meaning-construction mechanisms, abroad scope of applied research but insufficient depth, and standardization challenges for emerging empirical methods. Finally, this paper identifies four major trends in cognitive pragmatics: theoretical integration, deepening interdisciplinary convergence, the multimodality of research subjects, and strengthened interaction between theory and practice. The study argues that cognitive pragmatics must embrace interdisciplinary collaboration while maintaining theoretical depth, and through methodological innovation and theoretical integration, to fulfill its disciplinary mission as a bridge between cognition and pragmatics.

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    A Cross-linguistic Contrastive Study of Lexical Cultural Cognition: A Case Study of private and 私 (sī)
    WU Juyan, WANG Wenbin
    2026, 26 (3):  62-74.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.006
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    There exists an inherent profound contradiction between the particularity of ethnocultural cognition in lexical encoding and the shared cultural cognition required for multicultural interaction. The contradiction is deeply seated in linguistic underpinnings for the frequent misunderstandings and conflicts in cross-cultural communication. This paper proposes the L-C-U Model for Lexical Cultural Cognition and advocates that relevant research is expected to be carried out systematically from linguistic, conceptual and usage-based levels. Within the model, it discusses in detail seemingly corresponding English-Chinese word pair private and 私 (sī). There are three main findings presented as follows: (1) The etymological and semantic evolution of private demonstrates a narrative of continuous empowerment centered on individual tension, whereas 私 exhibits a discontinuous moral reconstruction of individual cultural cognition; (2) The cultural concept of private highlights exclusive ownership and control, while 私 has undergone a shift from neutral connotations of property rights to moral stigmatization; (3) The shared meanings of private and 私 are prone to misunderstanding in cross-cultural communication, stemming from their cultural conceptions they activate. Furthermore, a cognitive typological distinction between “container schema” and “relational schema” is put forward: English speakers conceptualize the individual as a closed container with clear boundaries, whereas Chinese speakers perceive the individual as a relational node with fluid boundaries. This study provides an operable analytical model for cultural cognitive linguistics and practical implications for such fields as international communication, foreign language lexical education and lexicography, and is of great significance for enhancing the international understanding of Chinese discourse and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

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    Digital and Intelligent Transformation of the Foreign Language Education Ecosystem for Foreign-related Rule of Law
    YU Suqing, LIU Xirong
    2026, 26 (3):  75-83.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.007
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    Foreign-related rule of law is an important component of the socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics. Foreign language education is the key to cultivating talents for foreign-related rule of law. Foreign language education for foreign-related rule of law is a multi-level, multi-element ecosystem that integrates ideological and moral education, legal knowledge, foreign language skills, information technology, and other educational elements. At present, generative artificial intelligence, represented by DeepSeek and ChatGPT, is leading humanity towards an AI-assisted living environment. Therefore, the digital and intelligent transformation of foreign language education ecosystem for foreign-related rule of law is imperative. However, foreign language education for foreign-related rule of law is currently facing a series of ecological dilemmas, including the lack of effective collaboration among stakeholders, poor integration of curriculum systems and teaching resources, and data security and ethical risks brought by intelligent technologies. These challenges can be categorized as principal, mediating, and environmental issues. Drawing on the theoretical and methodological approaches of educational ecology, this paper proposes to address the ecological dilemmas of foreign language education for foreign-related rule of law by adopting the following strategies: taking the value of “moral education and talent cultivation” as the guiding principle, using information technology as a facilitative factor, employing the coupling of internal and external forces as the driving mechanism, and aiming for sustainable development as the fundamental goal. The specific pathways include “collaboration among stakeholders, integration of mediating elements, and ensuring environmental security.” These measures aim to promote the digital and intelligent transformation and ecological reshaping of foreign language education for foreign-related rule of law, thereby providing a solid support for the cultivation of high-quality talents in this field.

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    An Analysis of Core Competencies-Oriented Revisions to the Word List in English Curriculum Standards for General Senior High Schools and Their Pedagogical Pathways
    YU Xi, WANG Shouren
    2026, 26 (3):  95-105.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.009
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    Under the guidance of core competencies, The Routine Revision of English Curriculum Standards for General Senior High Schools (2017 Edition, 2025 Revision) has introduced systematic adjustments and structural optimization to the senior high school English word list, reflecting the educational value in curriculum philosophy. This paper first outlines the major changes in the vocabulary revision, noting an increased emphasis on articulation between school stages, theme-based instruction, and register differentiation. On this basis, it analyzes the reconstruction of vocabulary functions from the perspective of core competencies and clarifies how vocabulary selection embodies language ability, cultural awareness, thinking capacity, and learning ability. Next, it draws on usage-based second language acquisition theory, construction grammar, and mechanisms of entrenchment to explain the cognitive rationale of the vocabulary revision, demonstrating that it aligns with the processes of forming, organizing, and consolidating language knowledge through authentic use. Finally, within the framework of the activity-based approach to English learning, the paper develops an implementation pathway for teaching English vocabulary in senior high schools, integrating vocabulary learning into classroom practice through activities of learning and understanding, application and practice, and transfer and innovation. This paper aims to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for high school English vocabulary instruction, thereby promoting the all-round development of students’ core competencies.

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    Confidence and Willingness to Speak in Online English Learning: A Profile Analysis from the Perspective of Resilience
    BAI Ya, GUO Yingli
    2026, 26 (3):  106-117.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.010
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    In online English learning, students’ confidence (academic self-efficacy) and willingness to speak (willingness to communicate) are two important psychological factors that influence learning outcomes. However, the ways in which these two factors are combined within individuals, as well as their role in shaping academic resilience, remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on the risk-protective factor framework of academic resilience, this study employed latent profile analysis to investigate 579 eleventh-grade students. The aims were to identify heterogeneous profiles based on academic self-efficacy and willingness to communicate, and to compare differences in academic resilience across these profiles. The results showed that: (1) the four-profile model demonstrated the best fit, yielding four distinct groups: the low-efficacy—avoidant group (15.4%), the moderate-efficacy—low-communication group (24.7%), the balanced-development group (32.0%), and the high-efficacy—communicative group (28.0%); (2) significant gradient differences in academic resilience were found across the profiles, with a large effect size. Among them, the high-efficacy—communicative group scored the highest, whereas the low-efficacy—avoidant group scored the lowest. These findings suggest that academic self-efficacy, as an internal protective factor, and willingness to communicate, as a social protective factor, work synergistically in enhancing students’ academic resilience. This study reveals the heterogeneity of learner psychological characteristics in online learning contexts and provides empirical evidence for learner type-based differentiated intervention.

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    Media, Agency, and Algorithms: An MDA Framework for AI-Era Language Practice
    ZOU Jun, LI Zhiwei, WANG Weitong
    2026, 26 (3):  137-147.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.013
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    Functional Communication and Language Interventions for Older Adults: Mechanisms, Implementation Framework, and Directions
    YAO Quan, HUANG Lihe
    2026, 26 (3):  148-160.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.014
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    Language intervention for older adults is currently experiencing a paradigm shift from “structural linguistic repair” toward “functional communicative facilitation”. The essence of this shift lies in redefining its objective from the restoration of tested linguistic proficiency to the reconstruction of older adults’ capacities for participation in everyday life. Neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve, the Behavior Change Wheel, and communication theories jointly underpin the mechanistic pathway of functional communication interventions, spanning from neural mechanisms to behavioral outcomes, and from the individual to the environmental context. A multidimensional implementation framework of functional communication interventions is proposed, comprising the core, instrumental, and contextual layers. At the core layer, individual protective factors such as life experiences are activated; at the instrumental layer, multimodal communication resources and pragmatic ability training are employed; at the contextual layer, interventions are embedded in everyday discourse activities and social environmental support is improved. Guided by the principles of active aging and holistic health, language intervention is reconceptualized as a lifelong health investment, elevating “linguistic wellness and care” to a strategic domain within national aging initiatives and social welfare systems. The dialectical tensions between standardization and individualization, technology and humanity, and ability training and environmental modification constitute theoretical and practical problematics that remain to be resolved.

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    The Social Critic “On the Road”: Allen Ginsberg’s Poetics of Travel and American Society
    YANG Jing, ZHENG Yanhong
    2026, 26 (3):  194-203.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.018
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    Travel runs through Ginsberg’s life and literary career, yet existing scholarship, while acknowledging its influence on his writing and thought, has not fully explored its poetic significance as a method of social critique. This article proposes the concept of a “poetics of travel,” regarding travel as a distinctive mode through which Ginsberg observed, represented, and intervened in society. It argues that travel not only provided experiential material for his poetry, but also formed a crucial mechanism through which his social critique took shape and unfolded: geographical distance afforded him the critical space from which to reassess America, while cross-cultural encounters offered comparative perspectives and new poetic resources for reflecting on American society. Travel became a crucial means by which the poet exposed repression, alienation, war, and the operations of American hegemony, while also connecting him with marginalized communities, the counterculture, and antiwar movements, thereby moving poetry beyond text and into the public sphere. Travel thus became a vital thread linking his personal experience, writing, social critique, and political practice. This article offers a new perspective on the relationship between Ginsberg, Beat literature, and postwar American society, while also providing a representative case for addressing the broader question of how literature intervenes in social reality.

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    From “Canon and Historiography” to “Narrative”: Cross Cultural Reconstruction and Its Method in The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature’s Treatment of the Spring and Autumn Annals
    WANG Wenyuan, GUO Yuanlin
    2026, 26 (3):  204-212.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.019
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    The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature stages a direct paradigm clash by reclassifying the Spring and Autumn Annals, a foundational Confucian classic, as “narrative literature,” thereby radically subverting the text’s longsettled canonical and historiographical nature—a nature that Chinese scholarly tradition has consistently reinforced. Juxtaposing this Cambridge treatment with mainstream Chinese literary histories reveals structural divergences on three fronts: the text’s basic taxonomy (canonicalhistorical record versus narrative artifice), the hermeneutic lens (the classic read alone or through the Three Commentaries), and the authorial role envisioned (court chronicler versus moral sage). Rather than dismissing these discrepancies as mere interpretive missteps or progressive refinement, this study reframes them as symptoms of a deeper epistemological collision, pitting “literarycultural history” against “purist literary historiography,” and “constructivist interpretation” against “positivist textual criticism.” The crosscultural reconstruction undertaken by The Cambridge History undoubtedly revitalizes the Annals, yet it simultaneously risks reducing intricate problems of classical exegesis to an excessively narrativized and aestheticized register. To negotiate these epistemic tensions, this article introduces “Reflective Comparativism” as a theoretical intervention. By channeling the productive frictions and cognitive limits that surface in crosscultural interpretation, this framework transcends the present case to offer methodological reflections with broader implications for rewriting Chinese literary history and for rethinking classical Chinese studies globally.

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    From Natural Devastation to Spiritual Redemption: Ecological Anti-War Narrative Study of Findley’s The Wars
    ZHU Jia, WEI Li
    2026, 26 (3):  221-230.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2026.03.021
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    The term “ecological anti-war narrative” designates a literary practice that combines a war criticism with ecological consciousness. Its defining features are the foregrounding of the trauma inflicted upon the natural world as a whole rather than a sole focus on human casualties, interrogating the ethical foundations of the human-nature relationship rather than merely debating the justice of wars, and envisioning a mode of coexistence between human and nonhuman life rather than advocating peace in purely anthropocentric terms.Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars (1977) embodies the generative mechanism and ethical implications of this narrative mode. This novel constructs an ecological anti-war narrative through a threefold structure of “destruction, construction, and transcendence”. First, it depicts how war alienates nature from a “land of life” into a “space of violence”. Second, through the writing of oasis imagery and animal voices, the novel reconfigures nature as a symbolic site of trauma repair and spiritual refuge. Finally, it shows that in the symbiosis of the soul and nature, individual life transcends death and achieves immortality in an ethical sense, thereby calling for coexistence between human and nonhuman life. The ecological writing of The Wars reveals that imperial warfare entails not only the conquest of the “other”, but also the systematic domination of nature and nonhuman life. It is precisely through the lens of “ecological anti-war narrative” that this deeper nature of imperialist warfare becomes visible. Only by reconstructing a symbiotic relationship between humanity and the natural world can ethical foundations be reestablished amid the ruins of civilization.

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