This book contains new research essays of linguistic interface studies in or related to East Asian languages. Written by 14 colleagues or former students of Yoshihisa Kitagawa, it is also a book paying tribute to his decades of scholarships on linguistic interface studies. The chapters therein range from interface studies in syntax and other linguistic areas such as morphology, phonology, semantics, pragmatics, language acquisition, language evolution, and language faculty science. The languages under discussion are mainly East Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, but also include Jordanian Arabic and Spanish, under comparative studies with respect to East Asian languages. The book appeals to both seasoned and novice researchers in linguistics, East Asian languages, and modern languages.

The linguistic study of Chinese, with its rich morphological, syntactic and prosodic/tonal structures, its complex writing system, and its diverse socio-historical background, is already a long-established and vast research area. With contributions from internationally renowned experts in the field, this Handbook provides a state-of-the-art survey of the central issues in Chinese linguistics. Chapters are divided into four thematic areas: writing systems and the neuro-cognitive processing of Chinese, morpho-lexical structures, phonetic and phonological characteristics, and issues in syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse. By following a context-driven approach, it shows how theoretical issues in Chinese linguistics can be resolved with empirical evidence and argumentation, and provides a range of different perspectives. Its dialectical design sets a state-of-the-art benchmark for research in a wide range of interdisciplinary and cross-lingual studies involving the Chinese language. It is an essential resource for students and researchers wishing to explore the fascinating field of Chinese linguistics.