Linguistics at HKU

The Department of Linguistics houses research and teaching in phonetics, phonology, syntax, with a fieldwork focus, supplemented by existing strengths in morphology, linguistic typology, psycholinguistics and the study of language contact. We are strongly committed to the study of linguistic diversity. Our work is grounded in solid empirical research of high theoretical significance, with a focus on non-Indo-European languages, and little researched languages of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The department houses a phonology laboratory (including ultrasound technology) and a psycholinguistics laboratory. EEG and fMRI technology are also available at the University. HKU’s Linguistics Programme has been recognized for its excellence, ranking 1^st in Hong Kong, 3^rd in Asia, and 9^th worldwide in the QS World University Rankings for Linguistics of 2025.