CUHK - Department of Linguistic & Modern Languages

M.A. Programme in Linguistics (full-time and part-time)

Course Lists

LIN 5101	Foundations I: Phonetics and Phonology
LIN 5102	Foundations II: Syntax and Semantics
LIN 5103	Linguistics and Language Teaching
LIN 5106	Topics in Comparative Grammar
LIN 5107	Topics in Language Acquisition
LIN 5108	Topics in Sign Language Research
LIN 5109	Topics in Sociolinguistics
LIN 5110	Special Topics in Linguistics
LIN 5111	Special Topics in Language and Cognition
LIN 5112	Linguistic Research
LIN 5113	Research Project
LIN 5114	Topics in Language Change
LIN 5116	Approaches to English Grammar
LIN 5121	Topics in Second Language Acquisition

Previous Research Papers (2000-2007)

Course Descriptions

LIN 5101 Foundations I: Phonetics and Phonology
This course introduces students to a unified approach to language as a complex structure represented in the minds of its speakers. Empirical linguistic data will be drawn across languages to enable students to understand the intimate relation between language and the human mind. On the basis of this understanding, students are led to explore the core areas of linguistics. The exploration starts with natural language sound systems and phonological components of grammar. These will be explained with basic concepts and recent theoretical advances in linguistic studies alongside new findings in language acquisition. Students will learn to apply these concepts and ideas to tackle linguistic problems.

LIN 5102 Foundations II: Syntax and Semantics
This course is a continuation of the exploration into the core areas of linguistics. It introduces students to core areas of linguistics in addition to those covered in LIN5101, including the lexical, morphological, syntactic and semantic systems of grammar, as well as their implications for language acquisition. Students will continue to learn to tackle linguistic problems and formulate their own analyses to enhance their understanding of the relationship between language and the human mind.

LIN 5103 Linguistics and Language Teaching
The course aims to highlight the relevance of linguistic studies to language teaching. Various pedagogical issues such as curriculum development, teaching methodology, language assessment, language development and professional teacher training will be discussed in light of theories of general and applied linguistics. Students are encouraged to reflect upon their language teaching experience and problems and seek an explanation from the perspective of theories and issues in general and applied linguistics.

LIN 5106 Topics in Comparative Grammar
This course examines similarities and differences between Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and other languages, including English. The topics to be introduced will centre on current issues such as word structure, verb classes and syntactic alternations, clause structure, tense and aspect, modality, etc. The objective of the course is to sharpen students’ sensitivity to linguistic structure and function through practice in comparative analysis and enhance their understanding of the universality and the typological differences between languages. Students will learn to apply core linguistic concepts to empirical investigations.

LIN 5107 Topics in Language Acquisition
The acquisition of first language by children has been considered a remarkable feat. How do children accomplish this feat so rapidly and effortlessly? What are the stages they go through in mastering the different aspects of language? What does the development of language in children tell us about the human language faculty? These questions will be examined in light of modern linguistic theory, and nativist and interactionist accounts will be compared. Topics in second language acquisition will also be covered. Questions such as how interlanguage grammars develop in adults and the role of the mother tongue in the construction of interlanguage grammar will be addressed.

LIN 5108 Topics in Sign Language Research
This course provides an introduction to a relatively new area of linguistic exploration: sign language as a natural language system. We will lead students into a variety of disciplinary studies that adopt sign language as a focus of research. Examples of these disciplines are linguistics, language in education, language and brain, language and cognition, language development, language and society, and language and culture. The course aims to tackle these issues in light of the current developments in sign language research and see how they shed light on our understanding of deaf issues.

LIN 5109 Topics in Sociolinguistics
This course explores human language in the broader context of culture and society. How does language relate to culture and world-view? How does language interact with social structure, gender and individual identity? To what extent do men and women talk differently? How does language reflect relations of power and status between the speakers? The use of pronouns, politeness markers and other linguistic features will be examined. Exploration of these topics aims to enhance students’ awareness of language as a cultural phenomenon and sharpen their sensitivity toward the nuances of language use in relation to cultural complexities, with special reference to Hong Kong culture.

LIN 5110 Special Topics in Linguistics
From time to time, a course focusing on a specific area of linguistics or applied linguistic research that is not covered in the regular linguistic programme may be offered.

Students are allowed to take this course more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take the same topic twice.

LIN 5111 Special Topics in Language and Cognition
This course examines issues of current interest in cognitive science from a linguistic perspective. Students are encouraged to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to language-related phenomena by drawing on insights from other disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, speech and hearing sciences, computational science, artificial intelligence, and philosophy. Interface topics include language representation, modularity, processing, transmission, rehabilitation and modeling, among others. Students are allowed to take this course more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take the same topic twice.

LIN 5112 Linguistic Research
The course aims to train students in conducting linguistic research. General research methodology will be introduced, with a focus on methods commonly used in linguistic research and analysis. Students may be required to take part in field trips and expeditions. Towards the end of the course, students have to submit a formal project proposal leading to LIN5113.

LIN 5113 Research Project
This is an individual, but guided investigation on a topic of linguistic interest, the findings of which must be presented in a standard report format. Consent of teacher on the topic is required. This course must be taken during the final term of study or as a final course after students have taken the prerequisite required and electives courses. Students who wish to take the course should obtain prior approval from the Graduate Division for their research proposals. Prerequisite: LIN5112.

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LIN 5114 Topics in Language
This course examines how functional categories emerge and evolve over time. These diachronic phenomena will be analysed from both crosslinguistic and language-specific perspectives, with a special focus on East Asian languages (including Chinese dialects). Discussions focus on general principles underlying the process of language change, as well as motivations and mechanisms underlying the semantic extensions. Issues such as the debates on (non)unidirectionality in semantic extensions are also closely examined.

LIN 5116 Approaches to English Grammar
This course introduces students to various approaches to the study of English grammatical constructions. The approaches adopted may include formal, functional or cognitive perspectives. Students are encouraged to analyze grammatical constructions in terms of form-function relationships, cognitive processing and information flow. This course is designed to enhance students' sensitivity to the interactive aspects of grammatical analysis.

LIN 5121 Topics in Second Language Acquisition
The course introduces major issues in the field of second language acquisition: how is a second language acquired by children and adults? In what ways is acquiring a second language different from acquiring a first language? Different theoretical perspectives on second language acquisition will be reviewed and methodologies will be surveyed. Data will be drawn mainly from English and Chinese as target languages.

Previous Research Papers

(2000-2004)

A Perceptual Study of Tones in Cantonese of New-comers from the Mainland
Homonym Confusion of Hong Kong Putonghua learners
Phonetic Adaptation of Loanwords
Phonological Analysis on Loanwords from English in Hong Kong Cantonese
香港中學生粵音〔n〕〔I〕聲母發音考察

A Computational Categorical Analysis of Written Chinese Sentences
A Preliminary Analysis of Chinese Verb-人 Compounds
A study of the Chinese "X de VP" Construction
An investigation into the FOCUSING SYSTEM and TOPICALIZATION of 20 Austronesian Languages - as the first stage of my global linguistics typological research
An Investigation into the functions and forms of Cantonese rhetorical questions
An Investigation of English Double Object Construction
Aspect and Eventuality of Cantonese Verb Reduplication An Investigation on the reduplication constructions VV-mai4mai4 (VV埋埋) and V-mai4-V-mai4 (V埋V埋)
Difference Linguistics Aspects of the Cantonese Character咁
Locative Particles in Modern Chinese: Simple vs Compound Forms
Metaphorization of Cantonese Classifiers
On the Multiple Occurrence of Chinese Modals
Remarks on A-not-A Questions in Chinese
The Comparison between Cantonese A-not-A and Alternative Questions
The Functional and Semantic Developments of zau in Cantonese: From a Cognitive Perspective
The Status of 'zhe' in Mandarin 'zhe shi' Construction --- A Functional and Syntactic Analysis
The study of Gang² in Hong Kong Cantonese
Time Representation: The roles and interdependence of aspect markers and adverbs of time in Cantonese
香港中學生作文錯別字分析

An analysis of the semantics of particles in English: Up and Down

A Comparative Study on Adverbs of Quantification:
A Contrastive Analysis of Negation in Mandarin and Cantonese
An Analysis of the Relationship between Chinese Reading and English proficiency on English Reading Performance by Hong Kong learners of English
Cantonese “dou1” and Korean “doh”
On “Some, Any, Each and Every” in Chinese and English
英語與現代漢語的時制系統之對比研究
粵方言口頭語和現代標準漢語書面語的動詞對比研究

Acquisition and Use of Classifiers in Cantonese
Acquisition of Classifiers by Cantonese-speaking Children
Acquisition of Restrictive Relative Clauses by Orally-trained Profoundly Hearing-impaired Children
An Investigation into the Development of Simultaneity in child Temporal System
An investigation into the language use of a child with high-functioning autism
Early Grammatical Development of Spatiotemporal Markers in Cantonese

Production of English Diphthongs by Cantonese Primary School Learners
The Language Learning Strategies adopted by primary six students in English (L2) subjects
A Study on the Impact of Language Anxiety, Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivation on Primary School Children Learning English in Hong Kong

Acquisition of English Perfect among Hong Kong Chinese Medium Instruction Secondary School Students
Acquisition of English Perfective Aspect with Activity Verbs and Stative Verbs: A School Based Study of the Interlanguage Structures produced by Hong Kong Secondary ESL Students and the Implicational Suggestions for Grammar Teaching
Acquisition of English Simple Past Tense: A Study of the Interlanguage of Hong Kong Secondary ESL Students
Acquisition of English Simple Past Tense: A Study of the Interlanguage of Mandarin Secondary School Students
An Analysis of Cantonese Influence on Written English of Hong Kong Secondary School Students
An Investigation into the Korean -Ka and -Nun From a second language learning Perspective
Auxiliary do: Tough Task for Chinese ESL Students in Hong Kong
Comparing Modified Input and Output in the Incidental Acquisition of Vocabulary
Existential Constructions and Indefinite Subjects in Chinese-English Interlanguage
Look! & See? An Analysis of English Vision Verbs Used And the Errors Committed by Hong Kong ESL Students
Overpassivization in Chinese-English Interlanguage
Progressive Aspect in Adult SLA: Shanghainese-Cantonese Case Study
Teachers’ Responses to Students’ Written Errors in Hong Kong Secondary Schools
Teacher's Response to Student Writing
The Acquisition of Semantically Related English Spatial Prepositions by Cantonese Learners
The acquisition of unaccusative, unergative verbs and middle constructions by Hong Kong secondary school learners of English
The Definiteness Effect on the Acquisition of English Referential System by Hong Kong Students
The English Learning Ability of new immigrated Chinese students in Hong Kong : the role of attitude
The influence of lexical aspect on the use of past tense in the English writing of Hong Kong Chinese students

Acquisition of Japanese Passives by University Students in Hong Kong
Null Subject in third language acquisition of Portuguese by Cantonese-English Bilinguals
The acquisition of Cantonese as a second language by an adult Philipino: the bei2 ‘give’ double object construction
The Acquisition of French Negation by Hong Kong Bilingual Learners
The comparative influence of Cantonese and English on the learning of French by the people of Hong Kong

From Verb to Concessive: The Grammaticalization of QUE in Chinese
The Grammaticalization of JIANG "將"
The Grammaticalization of Passive Markers in Cantonese
The Use of Trendy ? in Cantonese
從歷時性釋現代漢語「到」字的語法化

A study of the Anti-face-threatening Strategies of Interviewers in Adversarial Radio News Interviews in Hong Kong
A study of Current Cantonese Slang in Local Gossip Magazines: Its Implications on Language, Culture and Society in Hong Kong
A Study of Hedges in Cantonese
A Study of Politeness Performance in Internet Chatroom Language
An Investigation into the Embarrassment Words of Hong Kong Chinese
Analysis of Puns in Hong Kong Print Advertisements
Apology in public discourse: A cross-cultural study
Face and Politeness: Gender Differences in Same-sex and Cross-sex Speeches
Grice's Implicature and Violation of Conversational Maxims: The case of Jokes in Cantonese Social Interaction in Hong Kong
Information Status of Foregrounded and Backgrounded Clauses in Cantonese
Hong Kong Chinese Pidgin English
Hong Kong Students' Attitude towards Written Cantonese
Reported Speech in Cantonese Journalistic Discourse
Self-deprecation of women in novels from 1960 - 2000
Social Functions of Chinese Interjections -- The Case of Naa4
Truncation: A Comparative Study Between Cantonese, English, Mandarin and Japanese
香港粵語流行曲使用語碼交替的情況及動機
廣州話「都」在香港書面漢語中的使用情況初探

A Study of the Motivations of Code-switching between Hakka and Cantonese in Hong Kong
At the Crossroad of Cult and Breed: The Linguistic Code-switching in Hwang Chun-ming’s Fictional Works
Code-mixing in a Cantonese-English Bilingual Child
Code-mixing of English in the Cantonese A-Not-A Structure
Globalized Magazines: A Study of the Relationship between Globalization and Code Switching in Hong Kong Popular Magazines
Language, Gender and Power Within Two Selected Song Lyrics

Contact Signs: Variation and Implications in Hong Kong Sign Language

(2005-2006)

Why not ‘the Orient’s Pearl’? An investigation of the choice between the s-genitive and the of-genitive among the ESL learners in Hong Kong
Complementizers in Cantonese
An Investigation into the English Agreement Errors and the Choices of Verb Forms by Lower Intermediate Chinese Learners
粵劇「官話」的入聲研究
An analysis of Hong Kong native Cantonese From 3 students’ problems in English pronunciation
The L2 Acquisition of English Progressive of Hong Kong Secondary School Students
Stress and Ambiguity in Mandarin
The Acquisition of English Dative Alternation by Child Cantonese Learners and the Role of Explicit Instruction
A Preliminary Exploration of Headless Relative Clauses in Chinese
A Study of Cantonese Informative Sentence-Final Particles aa3, laa3, wo3 and bo3
Analysis of Cantonese Presuppositions in Slimming Advertisements
A comparison between the Cantonese aspect markers gan and haidou
The Typology of Classifiers
The Lexical Development of a Cantonese-English Bilingual Child
Similarities and Differences between “no matter” and “whether” in Cantonese and English
The Patterns of English Word Stress by Hong Kong ESL Learners
L2 Acquisition of Preposition Stranding and Pied-Piping by Chinese Learners of English
Intrinsic Properties of Voice Fundamental Frequency and Intonation Modeling of Cantonese Utterances Using Command-response Mode
Effectiveness of four vocabulary learning tasks with reference to the effects of level of elaboration in information processing on learning
The Processing of Code-mixing of Chinese and English on Internet Forum : A Hong Kong Case Study
Secondary Language Vocabulary Learning
The Gender Differences in Linguistic Features of Dyadic Synchronous Computer-mediated Communication

(2006-2007)

The comparison and contrast of various forms of “Zhe” (着) in Mandarin and Cantonese
Acquisition of Chinese syntax by deaf children: The case of zeong1 and bei2 and the equivalent form in written Mandarin
On the comprehension of English syntactic ambiguity by Chinese Learners
Discourse of compromise: Case Analysis
Language and Power: A study on Q&A sessions at Legislative Council for the policy addresses presented by two Chief Executives
The neutral tone in Mandarin and its L2 acquisition
Differences between Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese in their perception of the status of Cantonese: Languages, Dialect, or ?
Language and Homosexuality: A study of speech styles of Cantonese-speaking Homosexual
廣東揭西 “半山客話” 的音系分析與比較
The acquisition of Cantonese aspect markers zo and gan by Cantonese-speaking children
The MLF model and phonological constraint on code-writing
On the location of the adverbs of time in the sentence of Chinese
Mouth gestures in Hong Kong Sign Languages (HKSL)
An interlanguage study: Acquisition of Japanese passives by University students in Hong Kong
A study of the Cantonese gam2
Acquisition of relative clause among Chinese EFL learners
On the status of bi-phrase in Mandarin comparative constructions: A structural analysis