Research
Research Grants
External Grants
2022 – 2023. Principal Investigator. Learner engagement in listening-and-speaking tasks in the face-to-face and the synchronous computer-mediated communication conditions. Faculty Development Scheme, Hong Kong Research Grants Council. HK$655,953 (Project No.: UGC/FDS16/H18/21)
2020 – 2022. Principal Investigator. The impact of bilingual exposure on the language development of Cantonese-speaking children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Faculty Development Scheme, Hong Kong Research Grants Council. HK$659,438 (Project No.: UGC/FDS16/H13/19)
2023 – 2025. Co-Investigator. 自閉症譜系障礙兒童在語言加工中的心理表徵實驗研究 [Experimental studies on mental representations during the language processing among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder].國家社會科學基金 [National Social Science Fund of China]. CNY$200,000
2020 – 2022. Co-Investigator. Perception and production of the Putonghua tone of non-Chinese speaking South Asian ethnic minority students in Hong Kong. Faculty Development Scheme, Hong Kong Research Grants Council. HK$575,100 (Project No.: UGC/FDS16/H15/19)
2021 – 2023. Co-Investigator. A corpus-based study of the acquisition of quantifiers. Guangdong Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science. CNY$50,000 (Project No.: GD20CWY16).
Internal Grants
2023 – 2025. Principal Investigator. The acquisition of restrictive focus in Cantonese-speaking children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research and Development Fund, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. HK$199,500 (Project No.: RD/2023/1.9)
2022 – 2023. Principal Investigator. The role of parental input in the language development of Cantonese-English bilingual children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Hong Kong: A corpus study. Research and Development Fund, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. HK$195,400 (Project No.: RD/2021/02)
2019 – 2020. Principal Investigator. The use of prosody in pragmatic comprehension by Cantonese-speaking children with high-functioning autism. Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust – Research and Publication Fund. HK$97,247 (Project No.: KS2018/2.2)
2023 – 2024. Co-Investigator. Instant message-delivered positive psychotherapy (I-PPT) to promote well-being in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A mixed methods evaluation of a pilot randomized controlled trial. Research and Development Fund, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. HK$199,538 (Project No.: RD/2023/1.20)
2019. Co-Investigator. A pilot study on analysing HKEAA English argumentative essays for learning and teaching in Hong Kong secondary schools. School Research Grant, The Open University of Hong Kong. HK$60,000 (Project No.: R4086 & R4087)
Completed Projects
The impact of bilingual exposure on the language development of Cantonese-speaking children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
This project is funded by the Research Grants Council with a total grant of HK$659,438, from January 2020 to December 2021 (Project No.: UGC/FDS16/H13/19)
PI: Emily Haoyan Ge. Co-I: Virginia Yip (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Fang Liu (University of Reading)
About the project
This project will investigate the impact of English exposure on the language development of Cantonese-speaking children with ASD in Hong Kong. We focus on this population not only because they are under-studied, but also because the majority of Cantonese-speaking children in Hong Kong are exposed to English. We will first use language assessment tools to construct their profiles of general language ability, and then conduct well-designed ‘game’ tests to systematically examine their specific linguistic knowledge in both comprehension and production. By combining these two methods, we shall first identify whether Cantonese-speaking autistic children show language impairments relative to their typically developing peers. We shall then examine whether and how bilingually-exposed children with ASD differ from autistic children who are primarily exposed to Cantonese. The findings will enhance our understanding of the relationship between bilingual exposure and the language development in children with ASD. Practically, the results will be helpful for developing effective interventions and rehabilitation programs for the treatment of ASD in Cantonese-English contexts.
More details please click here.
The use of syntax and prosody in pragmatic comprehension by Cantonese-speaking children with high-functioning autism
This project is funded by the Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust–Research and Publication Fund with a total amount of HK$97,247 (Project No.: R6296).
PI: Emily Haoyan Ge
About the project
This project investigates how 6-year-old Cantonese-speaking children with high-functioning autism (HFA) use syntax and prosody to comprehend focus information. This project shall establish whether children with HFA show prosodic or syntactic deficits, in comparison with IQ- and age-matched typically developing children. The findings will construct a detailed profile of language development in Cantonese-speaking children with HFA. Practically, the findings will inform evidence-based practice and provide essential guidance to clinicians, educators, parents and other professionals, leading to effective intervention for Cantonese-speaking children with HFA.
Processing of focus in L2 learners of English
This is my Ph.D. project, supervised by Virginia Yip and in collaboration with Aoju Chen and Iris Mulders at UiL OTS, Utrecht University
About the project
This study investigated how L2 learners use prosody to interpret focus in online processing and offline comprehension, through a cross-linguistic comparison between Cantonese learners of English in Hong Kong and Dutch learners of English in the Netherlands. Three experiments were conducted: (1) the 'visual-world' eye-tracking experiment examined L2 learners’ temporal course of prosodic focus processing; (2) the 'make-sense' judgement in reaction time paradigm investigated the focus-to-prosody mapping at the end stage of L2 comprehension; (3) the acoustic perception test L2 learners' sensitivity to prosodic prominence in speech perception.
Findings
English L1 speakers are able to integrate prosodic information to process and interpret focus, providing further evidence for fast and incremental prosodic focus processing in L1. The eye movements data showed non-native like processing in both L2 groups, indicating a general L2 processing effect in online processing. Results from the judgement experiment showed native-like performance in Dutch learners but not in Cantonese learners, suggesting L1 effects on L2 offline interpretation. Both Cantonese learners and Dutch learners showed native-like sensitivity to prosodic prominence in L2 perception.
The acquisition of right-dislocation in Cantonese-English bilingual children
About the project
This corpus-based study investigates cross-linguistic influence in the acquisition of right-dislocation by Cantonese–English bilingual children. It aims to test Hulk and Müller’s (2000) hypothesis and contribute to the ongoing discussion about the conditions for and directionality of cross-linguistic influence in bilingual first language acquisition. Right-dislocation is a syntax-pragmatics interface phenomenon, being rare in English (e.g., It's not bad, that cake.) but prevalent in Cantonese (e.g., 幾好喎, 個蛋糕).
Findings
Longitudinal data reveal qualitative and quantitative differences between bilingual and monolingual children in the development of right-dislocation in English and Cantonese. While right-dislocation lies at the syntax–pragmatics interface, both delay and acceleration are observed in bilingual development. In general the findings support Hulk and Müller’s hypothesis for cross-linguistic influence in bilingual first language acquisition, but the bidirectional influence observed is not predicted by their formulation of the hypothesis. Language dominance may influence the directionality of cross-linguistic influence.
Prosodic morphology in Ningbo Chinese
About the project
This project investigated four patterns of adjective reduplication in Ningbo Chinese and investigates the derivation of adjective reduplication with a prosodic morphology account.
Findings
The base of adjective reduplication in Ningbo Chinese can be either one or two syllables. To derive the four types of adjective reduplication, prosodic circumscription accesses to either the left or right edge of the base. AAB type of adjective reduplication is a prevalent pattern in Ningbo Chinese while absent in Mandarin Chinese. The present study proposes that the pattern of AAB reduplication is overt in Ningbo Chinese while covert in Mandarin Chinese.