Research Strengths

With its exceptional and comprehensive focus on language sciences, CBS is dedicated to cultivating an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach in both research and teaching. Currently, CBS specializes in the following areas within language sciences:

1. Empirical Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, and Language Neuroscience:

Language acquisition and development in bilingual and multilingual contexts
Psycholinguistic processes in language production, comprehension, and perception
Neurolinguistic investigations of language processing using neuroimaging techniques such as EEG, fNIR, TMS and fMRI
Study of language development and disorders and their neural mechanisms
Investigation of language variation and change in sociolinguistic contexts

2. Translation, interpreting, and bilingual communication:

Corpus-based approach to research and teaching of translation and interpreting
Empirical methods to investigate neurolinguistic and cognitive aspects of the translation and interpreting process
Research on the interplay of language and cognition in translation and interpreting using neuro-physiological and neuro-linguistic tools
Language and communication in corporate setting, language and media communication, bilingual interaction, bilingual education, plurilingual language development, language policy and planning

3. Communication and swallowing disorders and Speech and Language Therapy:

Assessment and intervention for developmental and acquired communication disorders (including speech, oral language, and literacy) and swallowing disorders
Developmental language disorder, developmental dyslexia, autism and their cognitive linguistic correlates
Creation and evaluation of tools and resources to support therapy for individuals with communication and/or swallowing disorders
The use of technology (e.g. AI and VR) to enhance support for individuals with communication and/or swallowing disorders and for speech therapists
Neurolinguistic and cognitive aspects of language and communication disorders
Research on speech production and perception
Investigation of interplay between language and cognition in speech and language disorders

4. Computational linguistics and natural language processing:

Chinese language processing, including understanding and generation
Ontology-lexicon interface for semantic representation
Development and application of language resources and corpora for linguistic analysis
Computer-assisted language learning
Machine translation and automated translation tools
Design and development of multimedia corpora for linguistic research

5. Language education:

Chinese language education in the global and local contexts
Second Language Acquisition: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary, and Grammar
Teaching Chinese as a Second Language using the AI approach
Curriculum Development, Pedagogy, and Assessment for Primary and Secondary Schools in Hong Kong
Educational Ecosystems: Language Policy and Planning
Language Education and the Inheritance and Innovation of Chinese Literature

CBS's interdisciplinary approach in research and teaching enables comprehensive exploration and collaboration in these language science fields.