International discourse system with Chinese characteristics has become a hot topic in academic circles. On the basis of a detailed review of the current research situation, this paper discusses future research dimensions in this field, hoping to inspire subsequent theoretical research and practical exploration on the translation, introduction, and communication of the international discourse system with Chinese characteristics. The article holds that future research still needs to be deepened and broadened in the fields of theory and practice, idea and method, system and mechanism, translation and dissemination, platform and channel, as well as talents training. In particular, the research of core issues such as theoretical innovation, applied countermeasures, talent cultivation and mechanism effectiveness should be strengthened.

In view of deficient research and application of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) scales, this article reviews the EAP scales and definition of speaking ability and then proposes a descriptive framework of the EAP speaking ability. The proposed framework is then applied in order to analyze the descriptive features of academic English within the speaking scales of China’s Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) from two aspects: construct definition and descriptors. Based on the analysis, suggestions are made for improving the CSE speaking scales. First, it is suggested that EAP descriptor categories be added to the speaking scales in order to have better representation of the EAP speech construct. Second, it is suggested that EAP speaking ability sub-scales be constructed in order to provide better guidance for teaching and learning EAP speech.

Language proficiency scales have played a significant role in national language strategy and language education. Recently, China’s Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) has drawn much attention from academia and the whole society. This paper reviews the current studies on validity and validation of language proficiency scales. It is revealed that most research has focused on one function of the scales—assessment tools. In terms of validity theory of language scales, two frameworks proposed by Zhu (2016) and Fang & Yang (2017) are discussed. Both frameworks hold that validity can be classified into several kinds, but they understand validity in different ways and apply different concepts to refer to the same validity. Comparison of these frameworks shows that Zhu (2016) and Fang & Yang (2017) each have their advantages and disadvantages. As for the experimental studies, interpretations of developing the scales and aligning them to other scales and tests have attracted the most effort. Discussion on the theoretical and experimental research of language scales leads us to propose potential future directions. On the one hand, it seems necessary to integrate the two current frameworks into a new model of validation of language proficiency scales that considers scale characteristics under the guidance of validity theory acknowledged in the educational and psychological measurements and language testing. On the other hand, it is arguable that descriptors of learners’ real language behaviors should come from collecting and selecting real data from a large group of language users rather than the subjective judgment of experts, teachers, and students, mainly because the subjective evaluation might not be fully reliable. Furthermore, CSE and other well-known language scales all boast that they should be used as standards on which language tests can be developed. Therefore it is an open question to what extent validity theories of language testing can be applied to validating language scales.

Language assessment literacy (LAL), generally understood as the knowledge and praxis related to language testing, plays a decisive role in language assessment. Co-issued by the Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission, China’s Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) has been officially implemented. While exerting profound impact on English teaching and learning, as well as on English assessment in China, this benchmarking document has also created tremendous repercussions in the study of language testing. However, the document is also a new challenge for all stakeholders in China in their endeavor of fostering LAL. CSE may not be fully implemented without the streamlined understanding of language-testing professionals, education administrators and frontline teaching practitioners. This paper, by referring to Jin’s (2018) framework that entails context, principle and practice, revisits LAL from the CSE perspective. Finally, contextualized in terms of the CSE constituents, this paper also highlights the content and principles that are expected of different stakeholders in language tests.

Professional English refers to English used in occupational settings by native speakers of different languages as a common communication medium to meet professional or business needs, whereas the professional English scale is the characteristic profiles of learners’ language performance at different stages in the process of learning professional English. Most influential language scales in the world are designed to assess language ability for general purposes, which are not fully suitable for assessing language ability for specific purposes. The paper uses the Global Scale of English for Professional English (GSE-PE) developed by the Pearson Education Group as an example to introduce the background and principles of developing GSE. And then it focuses on the method for constructing GSE-PE descriptors based on GSE job profiles driven by the O*NET database as well as the two unique features of GSE-PE. Finally, the problems of GSE-PE are analyzed, and the implications for developing language scales for professional English are discussed.

Research on discourse markers originated in the West, and soon became a hot topic in linguistic research after it was introduced into China. Discourse markers containing speech verbs refer to discourse markers containing the verb “shuo”（说）, which means more than just “speech”; it can also include cognition and comment. This paper places discourse markers containing speech verbs into one category, and examines their different degrees of subjectivity. The path of semantic change for “shuo” is speech-cognition-commentary. The subjectivity of discourse markers containing speech verbs is closely related to the senses of “shuo”; the subjectivity entailed in expressing different meanings is different, and forms a pattern in terms of degrees of subjectivity: evidentiality<cognition<commentary. From the left to the right, subjectivity becomes increasingly stronger, and the focus of inter-subjectivity moves from the speaker to the audience.

As a new interdisciplinary subject pertaining to law and English, legal English planning belongs to both the fields of foreign-language planning and of foreign-related legal domain language planning. As foreign-language planning, legal English should define and establish a standard language-competence system for foreign-related legal talents, and undertakes the historical mission of foreign-language planning to enhance national language competence in the new era. As a field of foreign-related law, legal English planning is a specific measure for colleges and universities to make full use of the advantages of the disciplines of law and foreign languages to implement the national policy of cultivating excellent legal talents. Through the training of excellent legal talents, the state’s ability to deal with foreign-related legal affairs can be improved and, eventually, a harmonious foreign-related legal language life can be achieved. Legal English planning does not only meet the need for the development of legal English, but also meet the objective need for the basic strategy of governing the country by law. This paper expounds on the necessity for, and the connotations and the contents of legal English planning from the aspects of both foreign-language planning and foreign legal language situations, and explores the establishment of a legal English planning system.

Based on a review of domestic and international research on theories and models of language service and enterprise internationalization, this study puts forward the necessity of evaluating language service competitiveness and conceptualizes a language service assessment index model for enterprise internationalization. The Delphi method is used to verify the reliability and validity of the model, which includes four index dimensions and twenty sub-indexes. The assessment index model will be employed as an instrument to measure the strengths and weaknesses of the language service of Chinese enterprises in their overseas trade and investment; in turn, it will provide reliable measurement standards and data support for improving the language service ability of those enterprises in the internationalization process. The index system aims to enhance the language service ability of Chinese enterprises for internationalization and for overseas trade and investment, helping Chinese enterprises to have in-depth cooperation with the Belt and Road countries.

Based on the theory of events proposed by American philosopher and logician Donald Davidson in 1967, event semantics has made the most achievements in the study of events and the internal time structure of events, and it has gradually developed into the theory with the most extensive influence in logical semantics. It uses first-order logic and formal symbols and computations to describe natural language, and it has become the forefront of linguistic research. Unfortunately, up until now, there have been no international textbooks on event semantics. An Introduction to Event Semantics, written by Chinese scholars Wu Ping and Hao Xiangli and published by Intellectual Property Publishing House in December 2017, gathers the essence of this theory in one volume and was presented to readers on the 50th anniversary of Davidson’s event theory, which is a matter of great significance. The book covers the historical evolution and analytical methods and core research results of event semantics, and it is a useful guide for Chinese scholars in the fields of linguistics, logic, and natural language processing to understand event semantics. This paper summarizes the main content of the book while also making brief comments on its structure and content.