Convenor: Jesús Olguín-Martínez (University of Hong Kong) Location: University of Hong Kong Linguistics Department Date: 2-3-March-2027 Description. Different linguistic theories have established boundaries among grammatical domains (Diessel 2019, 2023). In contrast, Usage-Based Construction Grammar (Usage-Based CxG) advocates for an integrated perspective of human language (Golberg 1995). Although research within this linguistic framework has deepened our understanding of language as an emergent system, several areas warrant further investigation, such as: 1. The bidirectional nature of taxonomic links, e.g., the attraction that a verb lemma exerts on a construction and the attraction that a construction exerts on a verb lemma (Diessel 2019: [...]

“Modeling the impact of prenatal audio attenuation on speech sound learning” published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition We are pleased to share a new publication from Ivy, Frank and Youngah in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. The paper, titled “Modeling the impact of prenatal audio attenuation on speech sound learning,” examines how human infants appear to have substantial knowledge of the sound structure of their native language at birth, despite the fact that the uterine environment strongly limits auditory input to low-frequency sounds. The study explores whether this prenatal low-frequency exposure may [...]

Linguistic experience and processing speed differentially affect lexical retrieval and structural assembly during language production - Professor Mohammad Momenian Published: 02 March 2026 https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13421-026-01861-x Abstract Our ability to produce words and sentences relies on lexical retrieval and structural assembly processes, which are supported by domain-general skills. In the present study, we adopted an individual-differences approach to examine how linguistic experience and domain-general skills jointly contribute to language production at different levels of complexity. Our participants (n = 169) completed three production tasks that capitalized on lexical retrieval (picture naming) and structural assembly (phrase generation and sentence generation) processes, respectively. In [...]

Filler-slot relations in language contact: Lexico-syntactic transference from a usage-based perspective – Jesús Olguín-Martinez Olguín Martínez, Jesús & Stefan Th. Gries. 2026. Filler-slot relations in language contact: Lexico-syntactic transference from a usage-based perspective. Review of Cognitive Linguistics (published online). https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00250.olg The study investigates the influence of Mexican Spanish similative (e.g., he swims like a fish) and pretence constructions (e.g., he swims as if he were a fish) on those found in four Mesoamerican languages: Huasteca Nahuatl, Papantla Totonac, San Gabriel Huastec, and Uxpanapa Chinantec. Using predictive modeling, we demonstrate that these indigenous languages have not only borrowed the markers komo [...]

Tone Development and Change Date: 13 Nov 2025 (Thu) Time: 4:00 pm Venue: Rm 3.04, 3/F Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

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