
Christophe Coupé
Assistant Professor
Dr. Christophe Coupé received a PhD degree in cognitive science in 2003 from the University of Lyon 2. He then worked as a researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), until joining HKU. His research interests in linguistics cover language evolution and language diversity, especially at the phonetic level, and the application of computational and statistical methods to linguistic data. Besides, Dr. Coupé has also conducted research in psycholinguistics, psycho-phenomenology and social psychology.
Email: ccoupe@hku.hk
Tel:
Room: Room 9.14, RRST, Centennial Campus
Youngah Do
Associate Professor
MA Chair, Chief Examiner
Dr. Youngah Do investigates linguistic sound patterns: phonology and its interface with phonetics and morphology. She is particularly interested in the experimental and computational exploration of phonological acquisition.
Email: youngah@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 8603
Room: Room 9.18, RRST, Centennial Campus

Jonathan Havenhill
Assistant Professor
Undergraduate Coordinator
Dr. Jonathan Havenhill conducts research in phonetics, phonology, language variation and change, and sociophonetics. His research involves the use of ultrasound tongue imaging and other experimental methods to investigate the articulatory configurations that underlie linguistic sound systems.
Email: jhavenhill@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 8285
Room: Room 9.23, RRST, Centennial Campus
Heeju Hwang
Assistant Professor
Undergraduate Coordinator
My primary research area is in psycholinguistics. I am mainly interested in the cognitive processes and interfaces involved in language processing. My research integrates insights from psycholinguistics with grammatical theory and language typology.
Email: heeju@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 1109
Room: Room 9.16, RRST, Centennial Campus

Olivia Lam
Lecturer
Olivia Lam’s research interests lie mainly in syntax and morphology. Her current interests include the syntax of double object constructions, especially the syntax of the give-construction; and, the cross-linguistic morphological and syntactic properties of objects. She is particularly interested in the morphosyntax of Chinese and African languages. She teaches syntactic theory and morphological theory at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and offers a Common Core course on human language.
Email: osclam@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 2758
Room: Room 9.17, RRST, Centennial Campus

Stephen Matthews
Professor
UG Chief Examiner
On sabbatical leave until January, 2023
Stephen Matthews specialises in language typology, syntax and semantics. His current interests include the typology of Chinese; the grammar of Chinese dialects, notably Cantonese, Chaozhou and other Minnan dialects; language contact and bilingualism, with particular reference to Sinitic languages. He is Co-Director of the Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre.
Email: matthews@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 2752
Room: Room 9.09, RRST, Centennial Campus

Joe Perry
Assistant Professor
Postgraduate coordinator
Dr. Joe Perry works on language description, in particular of the Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in Nepal. His theoretical interests lie in syntax and phonology, and especially in the interaction between the two.
Email: jjp45@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 2753
Room: Room 9.20, RRST, Centennial Campus

Wai Ting Siok
Associate Professor
My research focuses on bilingualism, language development and language neuroscience. My ongoing research is aimed at determining the neural mechanisms that underlie reading in normal and dyslexic children.
Email: siok@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 2771, 2241 5873
Room: Room 9.19, RRST, Centennial Campus

Yoonsang Song
Assistant Professor
Seminar and out-reach coordinator
Dr. Yoonsang Song’s research is in syntax and morphology, centering on the representation of language with a particular focus on language processing in second language learners and bilingual speakers. He uses various experimental methods including electroencephalography (EEG).
Email: yoonsang@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 8114
Room: Room 9.21, RRST, Centennial Campus
Kofi Yakpo
Associate Professor
Chairperson
My research revolves around multilingualism, and language contact and change. How, when and why do people use several languages at the same time? How does this change the grammar and lexicon of the languages they use? How do societies handle their multilingual heritage socially and politically? I am currently working on language contact & the emergence of new languages in highly multilingual regions of Africa, the Americas, and the Indian Ocean with a focus on English-lexifier creoles and Asian diaspora languages.
Email: kofi@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 7117
Room: Room 9.15, RRST, Centennial Campus
Walk-in office hours: Thursdays, 1400-1530

Leo Francis Hoye
Honorary Associate Professor
Leo Francis Hoye was educated in Britain, France and Romania and is a versatile educator, researcher and writer with broad international experience. He has worked with governmental, public and other agencies in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and, most recently, Hong Kong SAR. Formerly Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at The University of Hong Kong and now an Honorary Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts (School of Humanities, Linguistics), Leo divides his time between teaching, editing, writing, and public speaking. Recent presentations at home or overseas include: ‘Engaging Across Cultures: Developing Effective Communication Strategies’ (Romania); ‘Corporate Happiness [sic] Responsibility’ (HK), and ‘Whose English? The “English Effect” in a Global World and a Global Market’ (HK).
Leo’s current academic research interests include semantics and pragmatics (notably modality and evidentiality) and visual pragmatics / multimodality.
Leo teaches in semantics and pragmatics.
Email: leohoye@hku.hk
Tel: 3917 8606
Room: Room 9.22, RRST, Centennial Campus
Consultation by appointment only.