By interviewing with contemporary French linguists, this book tries to systematically present the research frontiers in linguistic typology, semantics, discourse analysis, discourse lexicology, language teaching methodology, corpus linguistics, natural language processing, machine translation, sociolinguistics, human (ethnolinguistics) linguistics, and psycholinguistics. The content emphasizes both the theoretical and epistemological foundations of language while not neglecting practical analysis and language application.

Wang Xiuli is a professor, doctoral supervisor and director of the French Department at BLCU, as well as a member of French Sub-committee of the Steering Committee on Teaching Foreign Language to Majors in Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. Wang has edited 8 textbooks, led or participated in 3 national social science fund projects, edited 5 works on French theoretical linguistics and discourse studies, translated 4 works on translation theory and philosophy, and published over 40 papers on Chinese-French comparative studies and language teaching studies. Her research has bridged domestic discourse linguistics with international frontiers, and her edited textbooks have driven reforms in domestic French teaching.

Ning Jingsi is a Ph.D. from the French Department of BLCU and lecturer at the School of Foreign Languages, Central South University. She has published 5 academic papers and participated in multiple national and university-level research projects. Her research mainly focuses on French linguistics and Sino-French language comparisons.

Linguistics, unlike other humanities and social sciences, requires strong logic, argumentation, terminology and scientificity in terms of its study object and writing form. Compared with difficult literature, this book adopts the form of spontaneous interviews which reduces obscurity and enhances readability.

It serves as a valuable resource for researchers of French and other non-Chinese languages, offering insights into French language research and language teaching, keeping abreast of academic frontiers. Moreover, it can be used as supplementary material in language courses and thesis writing classes for senior undergraduates and  graduate students.

This book can help researchers of French and other Sino-foreign languages to understand French language studies and research on language teaching and learning and to keep abreast of its academic frontiers, and can also be used as supplementary material in language courses and thesis writing courses for senior undergraduates, master and doctoral students.