People

Youngah_Do

Youngah Do
도영아

Principal Investigator

webpage | youngah@hku.hk

I am broadly interested in understanding the human ability to learn sound patterns. How do we abstract patterns from continuous sound streams, and how do various learning mechanisms help or impede learning ? My research approaches individual phenomena in the acquisition of sound patterns from three directions: (a) formal analysis within the framework of generative grammar, (b) experimentation accessing learners’ linguistic knowledge, and (c) computational modeling incorporating components of linguistic theory. As a new PI of the Language Development Lab, I am excited to explore questions on language learning with the wonderful people.

Robert Marcelo Sevilla

Postdoctoral Researcher

u3545575@connect.hku.hk

My research interests include the Xiang group, Sinitic typology, acoustics (of hesitation markers like uh and um in particular), and grammatical variation (of classifier constructions in particular). I'm also willing to chat about diachronic linguistics with anyone, rain or shine!

Ming Liu
刘茗

PhD student

u3007723@connect.hku.hk

I'm a PhD student planning to work on phonetics and Second Language Acquisition. I'm interested in speech learning in second language acquisition as well as sound change in natural language contact, especially the interaction between Mandarin and Hakka.

圣诞街景-12[2415]

Frank, Lihui Tan
譚力琿

PhD Student

tt115889@connect.hku.hk

I majored in General Linguistics and Computer Science. My current interest is in the computational modelling of sound change, especially how individuals' learning mechanisms could be modelled from theories and experiments and act as a unit of larger models of speech communities to investigate sound change. In my future studies, I would like to explore this topic in more detail. Hope to learn more about human's phonological learning mechanisms here!

pelleas

Zhihao Wang
王志浩

PhD student

wzhihaow@connect.hku.hk

I am a PhD student working on phonology and phonetics, and their interface. Having a background of Chinese historical phonology, I have a strong interest in comparative studies of Chinese dialects and some geographically adjacent languages. Currently, my research focuses on tones. I hope to get some new perspective through observing interaction of different tonal systems.

Xiaoyu Yu

Rayne, Xiaoyu Yu
于小雨

PhD student

xyu97@connect.hku.hk

I began my studies at HKU in 2021. My PhD thesis focuses on dialect acquisition, specifically examining how dialect learners form sound correspondences between their native dialect and a nonnative dialect. I am also keen to explore phonological learning from various perspectives, including phonetics, language variation and change, and psycholinguistics.

Shuhao Zhang
张书豪

PhD student

shuhaoz19@connect.hku.hk

I am a PhD student planning to work on phonological acquistion. My current research interest is the perception-production link of language learning in phonetics and phonology, and using computational methods to approach it. I am also interested in the neural mechanisms underlying this process.

zhengshuang

Ivy, Shuang Zheng
郑爽

PhD student

ivyzheng@connect.hku.hk

I am a PhD student working on phonological learning and learning biases. I am interested in the role of phonetic substance in phonological acquisition. My current project employs computational simulations to uncover the nature of learning biases related to phonology.

Joanna, Chuwen Chen
陳楚雯

Undergraduate Research Assistant

joanna30@connect.hku.hk

I am a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in General Linguistics. I am currently interested in historical linguistics and typology of Sino-Tibetan languages, also language contact and emergence in general.

Hannah, Yu Hei Chung
鍾裕希

Undergraduate Research Assistant

u3607608@connect.hku.hk

I am an undergraduate student majoring in General Linguistics and English Studies. Most fields within linguistics interest me, but I am most eager to explore the fields of morphology and syntax.

Kevin

Kevin, Fei Peng Chen
陳暉棚

Undergraduate Research Assistant

u3608462@connect.hku.hk

I am an undergraduate year 2 BA student, majoring in General Linguistics and Psychology. As a third-culture kid, I grew up being exposed to various languages, which further fuels my passion for the study of linguistics. My main interests in the field of linguistics include child language, bilingualism, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, linguistics, and translation.

Clarissa Ki
暨玥怡

Undergraduate Research Assistant

clarissa.ki.22@ucl.ac.uk

I am an undergraduate studying BA Linguistics at UCL. My main interests within linguistics include phonology, language acquisition and syntax.

LIANG Xin, Olivia

Olivia, Xin Liang
梁歆

Undergraduate research assistant

oliviaa@connect.hku.hk

I'm an undergraduate student majoring in General Linguistics and French. I'm currently interested in syntax and psycholinguistics.

Ngai_Yu_On_Mavies

Mavies, Yu On Ngai
魏汝安

Undergraduate Research Assistant

nyuon@connect.hku.hk

I am an undergraduate student majoring in General Linguistics. I am currently interested in the field of phonology and language acquisition, specifically the interaction between the two languages during the process of language acquisition of bilinguals. I am eager to gain hands-on experience and to explore more possibilities.

NG Chui Yin

Judy, Chui Yin Ng
吳翠燕

Undergraduate Research Assistant

chuiyin@connect.hku.hk

I am a final year undergraduate majoring in General Linguistics, Japanese Studies, and Translation. I am interested in psycholinguistics, in particular language processing and production at the syntax-pragmatics interface.

Jeff Wing Tsun Yip

Jeff, Wing Tsun Yip
葉榮隽

Undergraduate Research Assistant

jeff.wt.yip@connect.hku.hk

I am an undergraduate student majoring in actuarial science and minoring in linguistics. I am fascinated by the sounds of human speech and am eager to explore the field of phonetics both synchronically and diachronically. I would like to gain practical knowledge to better prepare myself for further study in linguistics.

Aaron, Wing Cheung Chik
戚穎璋

Lab manager

aaeronc@connect.hku.hk

I graduated from HKU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Linguistics and German. My research interests are in Cantonese sociophonetics, Hong Kong Sign Language, and computer schema designs for linguistic structures.

Previous Lab Members

Postdoctoral researchers

Graduate students

  • Dr. Tingyu Huang (PhD 2021; tenure-track researcher at Sichuan University)
  • Dr. Eileen Waegemaekers (PhD 2019; researcher at Leiden University)
  • Bingzi Yu (MIT PhD)

Master students

  • Katrina Ke Chun Li (MA 2019; Cambridge PhD)
  • Rachel, Pui Ching Chen (MA in Psychology, HKU)

Undergraduate Research Assistants/Interns

  • Albert Baichen Du
  • Alex Zhongyu Hu (MA in Linguistics, UNC)
  • Michael Mak O Hu
  • Stephen Tsz To Ho (MA in Education, HKU)
  • Wayne Tak Wang Li (University of Washington)
  • Ping Hei Yeung (BA 2021; Georgetown University PhD)
  • May Pik Yu Chan (BA 2020; UPenn PhD)
  • Kelly Chun Wing Cheng
  • Carrie Ka Yee Chan
  • Heidi Hui Lam Lui
  • Ryan Ka Yau Lai (BA 2019; UCSB PhD)