Bao Zhiming is a linguist whose research aims to bridge theoretical inquiry and real-world impact. After earning his graduation certificate in English from Fudan University and his PhD in linguistics from MIT, he taught at Fudan University, University of Wisconsin, and St Mary’s College of Maryland before joining the National University of Singapore in 1993. Bao’s first academic papers, published in Philosophy East and West and Journal of Chinese Philosophy, explored the concept of language in Chinese antiquity and problems of translation in ancient texts. In linguistics, he has published widely, in major generalist journals (Linguistic Inquiry, Language, Journal of Linguistics), specialized journals (Language in Society, Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages, World Englishes), and Chinese journals (《外语教学与研究》，《语言学论丛》，《语言科学》). His books are published by the Oxford University Press, the Cambridge University Press, and the Chinese Social Science Press.
Over the past decade, Bao’s research has taken a rewarding turn towards clinical linguistics. Working with colleagues at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Bao and his team use the analytical tools of linguistics to search for linguistic markers of dementia, a pressing medical and social challenge in today’s aging society world-wide. This multidisciplinary work, supported by more than 5 million yuan in grants from Singapore’s Ministry of Education and A*Star, has yielded highly original findings published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, the journal of the American Alzheimer’s Association. Most recently, Bao and his team won a highly competitive Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award from Singapore’s Ministry of Health and America’s National Academy of Medicine to advance research in the linguistics of Alzheimer’s disease.
