From March 30 to 31, 2019, a forum on multilingual education was jointly held by the Martin Centre for Appliable Linguistics (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, and Research Association of Foreign Language Education for ethnic-minority (Yunnan province). Participants of the forum are experts, scholars, and PhD candidates from Peking University, Beijing Language and Culture University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University, Southwest University, Northeast Normal University, Yunnan Normal University, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming University of Science and Technology, and Kunming Medical University. The forum themes cover citizens and national language capability, approaches of multilingualism, poverty and languages, medical discourse analysis on discourse space and narrative strategy from the perspective of minority ethnic groups, language contact and language harmony symbiosis at frontier areas of minority ethnic groups, multilingualism and identity, multilingual acquisition, language processing and cognitive ability, relationship of syntactic processing and cognition development, environmental effect on 3rd language acquisition from the perspective of dynamic system theory, writing ability development of junior Chinese learners of English in multilingual environment.

On the morning of March 30, Professor Hu Kaibao, dean of the school of foreign languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delivered the opening speech. Zhang Hong, deputy editor-in-chief of Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, and Professor Li Qiang, dean of Research Association of Foreign Language Education for Minority Ethnic Groups, Yunnan, adressed the audience respectively.

Li Yuming, a professor from Beijing Language and Culture University, delivered the first conference speech entitled On citizen Language Capability and State Language Capacity  According to Professor Li, with the development of society, it is necessary for Chinese citizens to master three languages: a mother tongue or maternal dialect, a national common language, and a foreign language. Mother tongue or maternal dialect is used for cultural inheritance. National common language is used for cultural inheritance, communication, and identity for the international recognition. Foreign language is used for individual development. National language capacity is the language capability which are applied by the state to deal with foreign affairs. Professor Li suggested China need reserve the most frequently used 20 key languages in the world to update technology and culture, and reserve 200 languages as national language capacity of "telling stories to the world". He believed that if Chinese citizens have the capability of "three languages" and "three styles" , and our country has the capability of 20 key languages and 200 languages, our country will become a "language power". China will have the language capability of building a community with a shared future for mankind as well as the capacity of world governance.

Professor Peng Qinghua, who is from Yunnan Normal University, pointed out in his plenary that the coexistence of multiple languages is people’s common aspiration of all ethnic groups and ethnic-minorities. However, multilingual symbiosis is a paradox in ethnic-minority areas. If multilingual symbiosis is a kind of existence, it is actually a kind of existence of difference and contradiction. Therefore, the balance between differences and contradictions is the key to achieve the harmonious coexistence of multiple languages. Linguistic and cultural diversity (see Yuelu Proclamation) is also the dream pursued by people from all ethnic groups in the world. Based on his previous research and foreign scholars’ research experience and achievements in recent years, professor Peng developed some new approach to harmonizing the multiple languages in ethnic-minority areas.

In the afternoon, Zhang Biao, a doctoral candidate at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, talked about the development of the writing ability development of junior Chinese learners of English in multilingual environment from the perspective of Appraisal theory. Xiang Keshu, another other doctoral candidate also from Shanghai Jiao Tong University delivered a speech entitled Independence of Zhuang Language Syntax Processing: Evidence from Structural Priming. Li Xuelan, a doctoral candidate form Northeast Normal University, gave a speech entitled Research on the Environmental Influencing Factors of Trilingual Beginners under Dynamic System Theory. The experts on spot commented on the speeches of the three young scholars.

Yuan Yichun, a professor from Yunnan Normal University, advocated that education is a primary access to poverty alleviation, and language education is an essential access to push poverty alleviation. Language education is a necessity to alleviate poverty. Language and poverty are related and affect each other, but there is neither direct correlation nor a causal relationship. The correlation between language and poverty is probabilistic rather than a one-to-one relation. Multilingual capability plays a role in workers' income and employment under certain conditions. The research on the relationship between language and poverty involves not only national common language, but also ethnic-minority languages, Chinese dialects and foreign languages.

Professor Wang Qingjiang from Kunming University of Science and Technology, and Professor Zhang Hongbin from Kunming Medical University, in their collaborated project, believed that medical narrative discourse is of great significance for stabilizing border areas, poverty alleviation and popularization of modern knowledge. They proposed that targeted narrative strategies can provide more promising medical narrative space with further understanding of medical beliefs in ethnic regions and by viewing their discourse space.

On March 31, Professor Li Qiang, who is from Yunnan Minzu University, introduced some special and specific difficulties and problems in multilingual education of ethnic-minorities areas in Yunnan. On the one hand, the difficulties and problems are about how to protect and inherit the language and culture of ethnic-minorities under the background of the present educational planning policy in China. On the other hand, how to protect and inherit the native language and culture in the process of implementing bilingual education and popularizing foreign language education is also difficult. Professor Li pointed out that the cultivation of localized international innovative talents and the construction of think tanks have become an important factor in the global economic and social development. From the perspective of linguistic ecology, Professor Li elaborated the role of language in the process of poverty alleviation and interaction mechanism of multilingual contact and symbiosis under the background of multi-ethnic culture in Yunnan. And it is necessary to establish a regional multilingual ecological development model.

Professor Liu Chengyu, dean of the school of foreign languages, Southwest University, pointed out that, in this new era, multilingual education in China should explore the following three issues: how to take language educational measures to help the learners in the mastery of language knowledge and skills, how to strengthen cultural education and psychological construct or reconstruct, how to gradually achieve ethnic identity, national identity and the identity of the world and learn to choose the proper stance of the three kinds of identity.

Professor Qiao Xiaomei, dean of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, reviewed classic studies of multilingual processing in recent years, and explored the similarities and differences between the multilingual processing and second language processing. She discussed whether second language processing model can be extended to more languages, the auxiliary and experimental evidence of inhibition when more than two kinds of language are processed, language learning effect on cognitive ability and cognitive control. Finally, she believed that experimental evidences of psycholinguistics must have implications on teaching philosophy and methods of multilingual teaching.

Professor Wang Zhenhua, director of the Martin Center, closed the forum. Professor Wang believed that the forum carries out in-depth research on multilingual education at the macro, medium and micro levels, and it has achieved the intended goal. He emphasized that linguistic research, whether ontological or applied, should give more consideration to its value of social service and social significance. He advocated the research philosophy of "Theory aims at the social appliability”. He called on the participants to establish the confidence of "Theoretical Confidence", to combine the academic and technological advantages in the eastern region with the regional language and cultural resources in the southwest frontier, to explore suitable linguistic theories for language practice in China, and jointly to contribute our wisdom and strength to the community of shared future for mankind.