Conference and workshops
On the alignment and misalignment of speech perception and productionDate: 30 Oct 2025 (Thu)Time: 4:00 pmVenue: Rm 3.04, 3/F Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
“Attention-LSTM autoencoder simulation for phonotactic learning from raw audio input” published in Linguistics Vanguard We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paper by Frank Lihui Tan and Youngah Do in the journal Linguistics Vanguard. The paper, titled “Attention-LSTM autoencoder simulation for phonotactic learning from raw audio input,” explores a novel approach to phonotactic learning using an attention-based long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder trained on raw audio input. Unlike previous models that rely on abstract phonological representations, this study simulates early phonotactic acquisition stages by processing continuous acoustic signals. The research focuses on an English phonotactic pattern, specifically [...]
Phonological optimization for sight and sound: Disentangling visual-articulatory and auditory-acoustic factors in phonetic enhancement and hyperarticulation General Research Fund Award (GRF), 2025-28 Principal investigator: Jonathan Havenhill Amount: 941,184 HKD Abstract Sound is arguably the primary (and often only) medium by which spoken language is conveyed. This allows communication to proceed when the speaker is obscured, whether over the phone, in the dark, at a distance, or when wearing a face mask. At the same time, vision and other types of non-auditory perception are also important. Spoken language is often accompanied by facial expressions and manual gestures, and the ability to [...]
“Tonal Assignment of Chinese Lettered Words” published in Journal of Chinese Linguistics We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paper by Zhihao Wang and Youngah Do in the Journal of Chinese Linguistics. The paper, titled “Tonal Assignment of Chinese Lettered Words,” explores the complex patterns of tonal assignment in Chinese lettered words, particularly in Beijing Mandarin. The study reveals that Chinese lettered words display a clear stress-to-tone match pattern, with additional rules of phonetic contrast maximization and a default rule also playing a role in tonal assignment. The findings suggest that the complex patterns previously reported in [...]
“Bilinguals’ advantages in executive function” published in Second Lang. Res. We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paper by Samuel, Xiaoyu, Thomas, Bingzi, and Youngah. The paper, titled “Bilinguals’ Advantages in Executive Function: Learning Phonotactics and Alternation,” has been published in Second Language Research. This study investigates the relationship between phonotactics and alternation in phonological acquisition and explores whether bilingual speakers have an advantage in learning alternation patterns that are not fully supported by phonotactics. Phonotactics refers to the legal sequences and structures within a language’s phonology, while alternation involves context-sensitive changes in morphemes. The research predicts that [...]
Chinese ideophone modality exclusivity: Comparing behavioral data with neurolinguistic data (fNIRS) Date: 18 Jun 2025 (Wed) Time: 1:00 pm Venue: Rm 3.01 Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Embracing Linguistics and Demographic Diversity to Study Language in the Brain Date: 13 Jun 2025 (Fri) Time: 3:00 pm Venue: Rm 4.04 Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Introducing PaVeDa – The Pavia Verb Database Date: 10 Apr, 2025 (Thu) Time: Start at 3:30 pm Venue: Rm 404, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Introducing PaVeDa – The Pavia Verb Database Date: 24 Apr, 2025 (Thu) Time: Start at 3:30 pm Venue: Rm 758, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
When social speech signals are not favored: enhancing the use of speech prosody in autistic children through perceptual training and human-robot interaction Date: 3 Apr, 2025 (Thu) Time: Start at 3:30 pm Venue: Rm 758, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Relevance-theoretical approach to improving LLMs’ reasoning of authentic implicit toxic language Date: 6 March, 2025 (Thu) Time: Start at 3:30 pm * This seminar will be conducted via Zoom: https://hku.zoom.us/j/97385178645 Share This Event!
Metaphony, Umlaut, and ǃXóõ A-Raising Date: 20 March, 2025 (Thu) Time: Start at 4:30 pm Venue: Rm 404, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU Share This Event!
Towards a More Flexible Model of Morphological Decomposition: The Case of Tagalog Morphology Date: April 11, 2024 (Thursday) Time: Start at 4:00 pm Zoom Link: https://hku.zoom.us/j/93049562825
The annual HKU Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions 2023 will be held on Saturday, Oct 28th. Our department will be hosting booth to provide prospective undergraduate students and visitors with information about HKU Linguistics. Come and join our Information Counter at CPD-LG.07~LG.10. We look forward to seeing you! More details can be found here: Faculty of Arts-Info Day Location details: LG.07~LG.10, Centennial Campus, Central Podium Levels - Lower Ground (CPD-LG)
Today is Information Day! Our booth will be located at LG07-LG10. If you have a chance, please visit us!
Online - all welcome! 8-11 June 2022 : "Population Movements, Language Contact in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and Evolutionary Linguistics" For more information, click here. Co-conveners: Salikoko S. Mufwene, Stephen Matthews, Virginia Yip, and Kofi Yakpo Co-organized by the University of Chicago, University of Hong Kong & Chinese University of Hong Kong
