Student project ideas

Hello, CUHK students!

I am looking for well-trained and dedicated student collaborators to explore the following research topics and at the same time fulfil your course requirements:

In some cases, the relevant data have been collected and processed, and are ready for analysis. In others, data collection and processing is still on-going. In general, the student is expected to have built up a good foundation in core areas of linguistics, taken courses in language acquisition (first, second or bilingual) prior to this student project, and are prepared to receive training and engage in self-learning in transcription and data analysis using CHILDES and CLAN, as well as develop skills conducting basic statistical tests using SPSS or R.

1. Cantonese-Mandarin bilingual/bidialectal development in Guangzhou toddlers
  • Potential research questions: Cantonese and Mandarin (Putonghua) are two languages (or regional dialects depending on the criteria) in the Chinese language family that are mutually unintelligible yet instantiate extensive structural similarities and lexical cognates. How do young children develop ability in both languages through interacting with their parents by 3;0? Do they develop bilingual ability faster than children who are learning two very different languages (e.g., Cantonese and English)? To what extent will they be able to maintain their Cantonese proficiency after they enter mainstream schooling in which Mandarin is the medium of instruction?
  • Data available: longitudinal video recordings of parent-child interaction in both languages in 7 children (partially transcribed); standardized assessment results of child language and cognitive development
  • Suitable for: students who have very advanced proficiency in both Cantonese and Mandarin
2. Language attrition in a school-age heritage speaker in the US
  • Potential research questions: The child (age 8) was born and raised in the US and acquired Cantonese from interacting with mother, Mandarin from father and English from teachers and peers at school. When she began her school education, her English gradually became stronger, and her Mandarin and Cantonese weaker. How did her language ability change over 5 years from age 3 to 8? Which linguistic structures of Mandarin and Cantonese are retained in her linguistic system and which ones are vulnerable and at risk?
  • Data available: longitudinal speech data of naturalistic conversations between the child and her parents in the three languages; systematically recorded over 5 years from age 3 to 8; transcription needed
  • Suitable for: students who are fluent speakers of Cantonese, English and Mandarin





If you are interested in working with me and my team investigating the above topics, please send me an email introducing yourself and your academic background (CV, academic transcripts, etc.). 





I am happy to work with student authors of outstanding project papers to develop the papers into high-quality manuscripts and submit to academic journals for publication.