"The didactic features of James Summers’s (1828–1891) research on Chinese" / Chen Wei

Published in Historiographia Linguistica - Volume 51, Issue 1-3, 2024 

Also available through Boston College Libraries

Abstract:

James Summers (1828–1891) is distinguished as the first professor of Chinese in Britain to conduct systematic research on the Chinese language. During his tenure as a Chinese professor, Summers’s research on the Chinese language demonstrated a pronounced didactic emphasis. This was evident in his departure from rigidly following linguistic theories, his adoption of diverse linguistic ideas and methodologies from scholars of varied backgrounds, and his inclusion of multiple varieties of Chinese as target languages, particularly Nanjing Mandarin. Summers’s early missionary work in China, along with his role at King’s College London, where he trained student interpreters for the British Foreign Office, greatly shaped his pedagogical focus. The didactic feature of his works aligns with the broader pragmatic approach of British sinology, reflecting the trend of recruiting retired missionaries and diplomats with experience in China into European university faculties after the mid-19th century.

The Gospel of Saint John in the Chinese language, according to the dialect of Shanghai, expressed in the Roman alphabetic character. With an explanatory introduction and vocabulary / James Summers 桑莫士, 1828-1891

Unsigned preface dated July 18, 1853 in London.

The paper stock appears to vary throughout the volume.

Some pages have come loose from the binding.

Scans available.

Purchased in 2025.