On the Paradigm Shifts and Path Optimization of Language-oriented Country and Region Studies

Language constitutes both the epistemological foundation and analytical cornerstone of Country and Region Studies. While studies on language have provided critical methodological tools for this field, its systematic integration within the disciplinary framework of Country and Region Studies remains underdeveloped, resulting in the marginalization of language’s multidimensional scholarly value. This study proposes Language-oriented Country and Region Studies as a transformative academic interface, delineating its conceptual boundaries through historical analysis and paradigm shifts. Focusing on the resource paradigm — which synthesizes the instrumental rationality of traditional approaches with the cultural hermeneutics of contemporary theories — the study demonstrates its unique capacity to address the interdisciplinary demands of Country and Region Studies. This paradigm not only responds to strategic imperatives in national development and global governance but also advances the construction of an autonomous knowledge system through three operational pathways: disciplinary repositioning of linguistic resources, transdisciplinary methodological innovation, and strategic talent cultivation.