Message from the President of
Li Fang-Kuei Society of Chinese Linguistics

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On October 1, 2003 the Li Fang-Kuei Society for Chinese Linguistics was founded with the primary goal of promoting and advancing academic and scholarly activities in the areas of Chinese descriptive, comparative, and historical dialectology in particular, and in Chinese historical linguistics and Sino-Tibetan linguistics in general. In pursuit of this goal, the Society’s planned activities include supporting (1) research subsidies for scholars and students in Chinese linguistics, including grants in support of linguistic field work and travel grants for graduate students wishing to attend conferences connected with the field; (2) scholarships for graduate students and postdoctoral fellowships for young scholars in Chinese linguistics; (3) interchange of scholarly ideas in a global context through seminars, workshops and co-operation among various international research institutions; (4) the institution of a visiting scholar’s program; and (5) dissemination of research results through publications, in particular through a new journal entitled the Bulletin of Chinese Linguistics.

The Society is a non-profit corporation whose financial foundation rests on contributions from scholars and interested parties such as yourself, who wish to honor the memory of Professor Li Fang-kuei by promoting the work and activities outlined above. To this end, speaking on behalf of the directors of the Society, I invite you to consider supporting our common scholarly and academic endeavors through whatever financial contributions you feel able to make, and also by contributing the fruits of your current research to the Bulletin of Chinese Linguisitics. We also invite you to familiarize yourself with the various grant programs and other sources of financial support offered by the Society, and to apply for any of them which you deem appropriate in your individual cases.

On behalf of all of us working for the promotion of the Society and its goals, and with hopes of hearing from you whenever you feel able to contact us, I remain

Very truly yours,
W. South Coblin
President, 2008-2014



The Second Decade of the
Li Fang-Kuei Society of Chinese Linguistics

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As the Li Fang-Kuei Society for Chinese Linguistics (henceforth LFK Society), which was founded in 2003 to commemorate and honor the monumental contributions of the late Professor Li Fang-Kuei to Chinese, Tibetan, Tai and American Indian linguistics, enters the second decade, we continue to develop activities that enhance the goals and visions of our Society.

In appreciation of the support and of service rendered to the LFK Society by our friends and colleagues from all over the world for excellent reviews of the Bulletin of Chinese Linguistics (henceforth BCL, the flagship journal of LFK Society for dissemination of research results) and to the various LFK Award Committees, we set up in 2019 an Award for Excellent Reviewer. It is due to these reviewers that we can maintain the high academic standards of BCL and the LFK Society.

Professor Li Fang-Kuei was not only an open-minded great scholar breaking new paths wherever he stepped, but a true gentleman, a 君子學者 , kind and generous toward fellow and younger scholars.
He attended to the upbringing of subsequent generations of young researchers during his life. Following his example, we have implemented two more activities in the spirit of enhancing our support
for budding young scholars, encouraging them to continue the Li Fang-Kuei tradition of dedication to excellence and integrity in scholarship.

In 2013, we initiated the Li Fang-Kuei Society Young Scholars Symposium on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Establishment of the LFK Society, focusing on the theme of historical,
comparative and typological studies across varieties of Chinese, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai languages, with the vision of bringing up scholars modeled after Professor Li Fang-Kuei, stimulating interaction
and interchange of ideas in a friendly atmosphere. Nineteen promising young scholars from various parts of the world participated in this symposium. A Second Symposium was held in 2018 in remembrance of
the 30th Anniversary of the passing of Professor Li Fang-Kuei, with the theme of Legacy and Innovation, and with a special forum on Archaic Chinese, the reconstruction of which has Professor Li Fang-Kuei
as the authority. A Third Symposium will take place in 2022.

The tradition of fine scholarship cannot be sustained unless it can continue from one generation to the next. Nurturing the next generation of young scholars is one of the visions of the LFK Society, and
nurturing it through the Young Scholars Symposia uniquely defines that goal to bring about that vision.

In 2019, we started a project called Bulletin of Chinese Linguistics Forum with the goal of encouraging young scholars to take charge of friendly discussions and debate of controversial but meaningful academic topics
concentrating on historical, comparative and typological studies, thereby broadening the mind and cultivating tolerance of diverse opinions. Five talented young scholars were selected as Forum Editors.
The First Forum will be launched in the year of 2020, followed by the Second Forum in 2021.

With your generous support, the torch of fine scholarship and new discovery in the Li Fang-Kuei tradition will transmit from generation to generation! Thank you!

Sincerely,
Anne O. Yue-Hashimoto 余靄芹
Third President of the
Li Fang-Kuei Society for Chinese Linguistics