Applying systemic functional linguistics to educational linguistics: Some reflections.

This interview is the eighth session of the series of interviews with Professor Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen. It took place on November 24, 2016 in his office at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The aim of the interview is to find out the general perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and that of Matthiessen on educational linguistics, and the lights shed by SFL on educational linguistics, e.g. the application of SFL on language teaching and learning, and more specifically on the teaching and learning of written and spoken English. We also invite him to talk about the implications of language description on educational linguistics, and to share his experience of teaching SFL to undergraduate and postgraduate students in Hong Kong. At last, the interview ends with his understanding of the complementarity of teaching and learning process.