Publications

Journal articles (*corresponding author)

  1. Shang, M., Zhao, L., Yip, V., & Mai, Z.* (under review) Protracted development in the heritage lexicon: resultative verb compounds in school-age heritage Chinese children and their input.
  2. Deng, X. & Mai, Z.* (under review) Input effects and unidirectional transfer in Mandarin-English heritage bilingual children: the case of locative prepositional zai-phrases.
  3. Zhou, J.*, Mai, Z., Cai, Q, Liang, Y. & Yip, V. (2022). Reference production in Mandarin-English bilingual preschoolers: linguistic, input, and cognitive factors. Frontiers in Psychology. 13, 897031. [OPEN ACCESS]
  4. Mai, Z.* & Yip, V. (2022) Caretaker input and trilingual development of Mandarin, Cantonese and English in early childhood (1;6-2;11). International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 25:9, 3389-3403. [OPEN ACCESS]
  5. 麦子茵*、吴庄、叶彩燕 (2021). 幼儿三语习得研究：现状、个案及前景，《国际汉语教学研究》，4，4-14页. (Mai, Z. *, Wu, Z., & Yip, V. (2021) Early trilingual development: the state of the art and a Chinese case. Journal of International Chinese Teaching. 8(4), pp. 4-14.)
  6. Mai, Z.*, Zhao, L., & Yip, V. (2022, published online 2021). The Mandarin ba-construction in school-age heritage speakers and their parental input. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism. 12(3), pp. 377-405.
  7. Zhou, J.*, Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2021, published online 2020). Bidirectional cross-linguistic influence in object realization in Cantonese–English bilingual children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 24(1), 96-110.
  8. Mai, Z.* & Deng, X. (2019, published online 2017). Selective vulnerability and dominant language transfer in the acquisition of the Chinese cleft construction by heritage speakers. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism. 9(2), pp. 202-227.
  9. Deng, X.*, Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2018). An aspectual account of ba and bei constructions in child Mandarin. First Language. 38(3) pp. 243-262.
  10. Mai, Z.*, Kwan, C. & Yip, V. (2018, published online 2016). Expressing displacement in heritage Cantonese: cross-linguistic influence and structural vulnerability. International Journal of Bilingualism. 22(6) pp. 603-618.
  11. Mai, Z.* & Yuan, B. (2016). Uneven reassembly of tense, telicity and discourse features in L2 acquisition of the Chinese shì…de cleft construction by adult English speakers. Second Language Research. 32(2) pp. 247–276.
  12. Mai, Z. (2016). L2 Chinese: Grammatical development and processing. Second Language Research. 32 (1) pp.123-141.
  13. 麦子茵 (2010). 语言学、教育学、心理学研究方法在汉语习得研究中的综合应用：以汉语方位词的习得研究为例，《汉语教学学刊》，第六辑，74-86页，北京：北京大学出版社 (Mai, Z.* (2010) Applying a synthesised method to second language research: Investigating the acquisition of Chinese locative postpositions by English Speakers, Journal of Chinese Teaching, Vol. 6, pp. 74-86, Beijing: Peking University Press).

Book chapters and conference proceedings

  1. Yip, V.*, Mai, Z. and Matthews, S. (2018). CHILDES for bilingualism. In Miller, D., Bayram, F., Rothman, J. and Serratrice, L. (eds.) Bilingual Cognition and Language: The State of the Science across its Subfields [Studies in Bilingualism 54], John Benjamins, pp. 183–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/sibil.54.09yip
  2. Mai, Z. (2013) Development of multiple interface conditions in adult L2 acquisition of Chinese shì…de cleft construction, Proceedings of the 12th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 12), MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, pp. 106-116.
  3. 麦子茵 (2011) 终结性与“（是）……的”焦点结构，《语言学论丛》，第四十四辑，120-140页，北京：商务印书馆 (Mai, Z.* (2011) Telicity and the (shi)…de focus construction, Essays on Linguistics, Vol. 44, pp. 120-140, Beijing: Commercial Press).

Refereed conference papers

  1. Mai, Z., Cai, Q, Liang, Y., Liu, J. & Yip, V. (2022) Linear and nonlinear relations between input and developmental outcomes in Cantonese, Mandarin and English in multilingual 3-year-olds in Hong Kong. Paper to be presented at the Workshop on Multilingual Language Acquisition, Processing and Use, 22-23 October, KCL, UK.
  2. Szeto, P. Y., Mai, Z., Matthews, S. & Yip, V. (2022). Verbal inflection in heritage bilinguals’ English: Parallels with East and Southeast Asian contact languages. Paper presented at the Workshop on Population Movements, Language Contact in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and Evolutionary Linguistics. The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | The Francis and Rose Yuen Campus, 8–11 June.
  3. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., Cai, Q., Liang, Y., & Yip, V. (2022). Reference production in Mandarin-English bilingual preschoolers: Linguistic, input, and cognitive factors. Paper to be presented at the 4th Bi-SLI (Bi-/multilingualism and Developmental Language Disorder), ZAS, Berlin, Germany, 9-10 May.
  4. Kan, K. H., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2021) The acquisition of verb-particle construction in Hong Kong bilingual children and American heritage Chinese children. Paper presented at the 13th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB-13), Warsaw, Poland, 10-14 July.
  5. Shang, M., Mai, Z., Matthews, S., & Yip, V. (2021) Acquisition of noun-modifying clause constructions in monolingual and heritage Mandarin-speaking children. Paper presented at the 13th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB-13), Warsaw, Poland, 10-14 July.
  6. Mai, Z., Zhou, J. & Yip, V. (2019) Sentence-final particle ne in child heritage Mandarin (2;00-3;05). Paper presented at the 44th Boston University Conference on Language Development (BUCLD), Boston, US, 7-10 November.
  7. Mai, Z., & Deng, X. (2019) Input effects and cross-linguistic reinforcement in early trilingual development of Mandarin, Cantonese and English (2;02-2;11). Paper presented at the Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition Conference (GALA 14), Milan, Italy, 12-14 September.
  8. Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2019) Early trilingual development of Mandarin, Cantonese and English: the Leo Corpus (1;06-2;11). Paper presented at the conference on “Acquisition of Chinese: Bilingualism and Multilingualism”, Cambridge, UK, 1-3 July.
  9. Mai, Z., Wu, Y., Wong, K. H. Y., Law, T. Y., & Yip, V. (2018) Preserving the zoeng-construction in heritage Cantonese: Evidence from the Winston corpus. Paper presented at the 4th Workshop on Innovations in Cantonese Linguistics (WICL-4), UBC, 23-24 June.
  10. Mai, Z., Zhao, L. X. & Yip, V. (2018) Complex verbal predicates in school-age Mandarin heritage bilingual children. Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages, UCLA, 16-17 Feb.
  11. Zhu, Y., Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2018) Documenting a heritage Mandarin child’s language development: the Luna corpus. Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages, UCLA, 16-17 Feb.
  12. Zhou, J. Y., Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2018) Documenting the bilingual development of Mandarin and English in US children: the Avia corpus. Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages, UCLA, 16-17 Feb.
  13. Lau, E. Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2017) Syntactic optionality delays acquisition: late acquisition of passives in Mandarin vs. early acquisition in Cantonese. Paper presented at the 41st Boston University Conference on Language Development (BUCLD), Boston University, 3-5 November, 2017.
  14. He, C., Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2017) Mandarin lexical tone in monolingual, bilingual and trilingual children at 2 years. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Monolingual and Bilingual Speech, Chania, Crete, Greece, 4-7 September.
  15. Ge, H., Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2017) How Cantonese-English bilingual adults use prosody to interpret focus in English: Evidence from eye movement in the visual world paradigm. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Cognitive Science. Taipei, 1-3 September.
  16. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2017). Cantonese-English bilingual children’s interpretation of omitted objects: An experimental study. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Cognitive Science. GIS NTU Convention Centre, Taipei, Taiwan, 1-3 September.
  17. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2017). Object realization in Cantonese-English bilingual children. Paper presented at the 14th International Congress for the Study of Child Language. University Lyon 2, France, 17-21 July.
  18. Ge, H., Kang, X., Mai, Z., Lam, H., Matthews, S. & Yip, V. (2017) Association of prosodic focal information with only in L1 and L2: Evidence from eye movement in the visual world paradigm. Paper presented at the Experimental Psycholinguistics Conference 2017, Menorca, 28-30 June.
  19. Ge, H., Kang, X., Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2017) How Cantonese-speaking adults use prosody to interpret focus in L2 English: Evidence from eye movement in the visual world paradigm. Poster presented at the 11th International Symposium on Bilingualism, University of Limerick, Ireland, 11-15 June.
  20. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2017). The interpretation of null objects by Cantonese-English bilingual children: An experimental study. Paper presented at the 11th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB11). University of Limerick, Ireland, 11-15 June.
  21. Lee, L.-C., Kang, X. & Mai, Z. (2016) Processing Cantonese classifiers by Mandarin speakers: an eye-tracking study. Paper presented at the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Annual Research Forum 2016. December 3. Hong Kong Education University. Hong Kong.
  22. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2016) A corpus study of post-verbal keoi in Cantonese-English bilingual children. Paper presented at the 28th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL28). 5-8 May, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
  23. Mai, Z. and Yip, V. (2015) Causative ba-construction in heritage, second language and native Chinese grammars. Paper presented at the 12th conference of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition (GALA 12), September 10-12, University of Nantes, Nantes, France.
  24. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2015) Object omission in Cantonese-English bilingual Children. Paper presented at the 10th International Symposium of Bilingualism (ISB10), May 20-24, Rutgers University, New Jersey, U.S.
  25. Zhou, J., Mai, Z., & Yip, V. (2015) Null Objects in Cantonese-English Bilingual Children. Paper presented at the 23rd annual conference of the International Association of Chinese Linguistics (IACL), 26-28 August, Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea.
  26. Zhong, J. & Mai, Z. (2014) Acquisition of Cantonese perfective aspect marker zo2 by adult L2 Mandarin-speaking learners. Paper presented at the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) Annual Research Forum (ARF), December 6, 2014, City University of Hong Kong.
  27. Kwan, J. C.-Y., Mai, Z., Matthews, S. & Yip, V. (2014) The grammar of Displacement in Cantonese heritage speakers. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages, March 7th, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
  28. Mai, Z. & Yip, V. (2014) Perfective –de in adult heritage Mandarin Chinese. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages, March 7, 2014, UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
  29. Mai, Z. (2013) Shì…de clefts in its V-O-de form: Native speakers’ judgements and interpretations. Paper presented at the 21st Annual Conference of the International Association of Chinese Linguistics (IACL 21), June 9, 2013, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei.
  30. Mai, Z. (2013) Let’s not focus on the ‘result’: development of multiple interface conditions in adult L2 acquisition of Chinese shi…de focus construction. Paper presented at the 12th Conference of Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition (GASLA 12), April 27, 2013, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
  31. Mai, Z. (2010) Telicity and the (shi)…de focus construction. Paper presented at the 16th Symposium on Modern Chinese Grammar, June 9, 2010, City University of Hong Kong.

Invited Talks

  1. Acquisition and maintenance of the ba-construction in multilingual contexts. The 11th Annual Meeting of European Association of Chinese Linguistics (EACL-11), July 2, 2022, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
  2. Input and early multilingualism. May 18, 2022, Peking University, Beijing.
  3. Caretaker input and multilingual development in early childhood. RIBiLT Chinese Language Learning and Teaching Webinar Series, May 6, 2022, Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
  4. Input and outcomes in Early Trilingual Development of Mandarin, Cantonese and English. December 5, 2020, the 3rd Meeting of Language Acquisition and Language Disorders, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China.
  5. Bilingual babies and their linguistic world. CityU-Learning Classroom for Secondary School Students, April 13, 2022, City University of Hong Kong. (Public talk)
  6. 幼儿三语习得研究：现状、个案及前景. 北京华文学院海外华文教师研习班. June 2021. Beijing.
  7. Input effects in early bilingual and trilingual development. August 29, 2019. LT Research Forum, City University of Hong Kong.
  8. Interpretation of focus and presupposition by native and non-native speakers of Mandarin. Workshop on issues of L2 Mandarin. December 16, 2016, Peking University, Beijing.
  9. Acquisition of Chinese by heritage and second language speakers: grammatical representation and development. Linguistics Seminar, Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages. December 6, 2016, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
  10. Chinese as a heritage and second language: some differences and similarities. International Symposium on Psycholinguistics of Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism, December 18-19, 2015, Shenzhen Research Institute, Chinese University of Hong Kong.