NeuroLML @ The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Neurocognition of Language, Music and Learning Lab

Peer-reviewed journal articles

(# = corresponding author, * = co-first author, ^ = student trainees)

2025
  1. Chen, X., & Zhang, C.# (2025). Setting the “tone” first and then integrating it into the syllable: An EEG investigation of the time course of lexical tone and syllable encoding in Mandarin word production. Journal of Memory and Language, 140, 104575. Link
2024
  1. Zhang, L., Zhu, J.#, Shao, J., & Zhang, C.# (2024). The combined effects of bilingualism and musicianship on listeners’ perception of non-native lexical tones. Speech Communication, 103147. Link
2023
  1. Zhu, J., Shao, J., Zhang, C.#, Chen, F.#, & Wiener, S. (2023). Statistical information affects spoken word recognition of tone languages in stutterers: Evidence from an auditory-perceptual gating study. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(9), 3382–3398. Link
  2. Zhu, J., Chen, X.#, Chen, F., Zhang, C.#, Shao, J., & Wiener, S. (2023). Tone deafness in music does not preclude distributional learning of nonnative tonal languages in individuals with congenital amusia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(7), 2461–2477. Link
  3. Zhu, J., Chen, X.#, Chen, F., Zhang, C., Shao, J., & Wiener, S. (2023). Distributional learning of musical pitch despite tone-deafness in individuals with congenital amusia. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153(5), 3117. Link
2022
  1. Chen, X.#, Zhang, C.#, Chen, Y., Politzer-Ahles, S., Zeng, Y., & Zhang, J. (2022). Encoding category-level and context-specific phonological information at different stages: An EEG study of Mandarin third-tone sandhi word production. Neuropsychologia, 175, 108367. Link
  2. Chen, S.#, Zhang C., Lau, P., Yang, Y., & Li, B. (2022). Modelling representations in speech normalization of prosodic cues. Scientific Reports, 12, 14635. Link
  3. Qin, Z.#, Jin, R., & Zhang, C. (2022). The effects of training variability and pitch aptitude on the overnight consolidation of lexical tones. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(9), 3377–3391. Link
  4. Lee, C-Y.#, Zhang, C., Wang, W. S-Y., & Waye, M. M. Y. (2022). Editorial: Relationship Between Language and Music, Ten Years After: Neural Organization, Cross-domain Transfer and Evolutionary Origins. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 990857. Link
  5. Shao, J., Zhang, C.#, Zhang, G., Zhang, Y., & Pattamadilok, C. (2022). The effects of alphabetic literacy, linguistic-processing demand and tone type on the dichotic listening of lexical tones. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 877684. Link
  6. Shao, J., Bakhtiar, M.#, & Zhang, C. (2022). Impaired categorical perception of speech sounds under the backward masking condition in adults who stutter. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(7), 2554–2570. Link
  7. Zhang, G., Shao, J., Zhang, C.#, & Wang, L. (2022). The perception of lexical tone and intonation in whispered speech by Mandarin-speaking congenital amusics. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(4), 1331–1348. Link
  8. Zhang, J.#, Zhang, C., Politzer-Ahles, S., Pan, Z., Huang, X., Wang, C., Peng, G., & Zeng, Y. (2022). The neural encoding of productive phonological alternation in speech production: Evidence from Mandarin Tone 3 sandhi. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 62, 101060. Link
2021
  1. Qin, Z.#, Gong, M., & Zhang C.# (2021). Neural responses in novice learners’ perceptual learning and generalization of lexical tones: The effect of training variability. Brain and Language, 223, 105029. Link
  2. Zhang, Y., Pattamadilok, C., Lau, D. K. Y., Bakhtiar, M., Yim, L.-Y.^, Leung, K.-Y.^, & Zhang, C.# (2021). Early auditory ERPs are modulated by alphabetic literacy skills in logographic Chinese readers. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 663166. Link
  3. Bakhtiar, M.#, Mokhlesin, M., Pattamadilok, C., Politzer-Ahles, S., & Zhang, C. (2021). The effect of orthographic transparency on auditory word recognition across the development of reading proficiency. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 691989. Link
  4. Zhang, C.#, Ho, O.-Y., Shao, J., Ou, J., & Law, S.-P. (2021). Dissociation of tone merger and congenital amusia in Hong Kong Cantonese. PLOS ONE, 16(7), e0253982. Link
  5. Cheung, Y. L.^, Zhang, C.#, & Zhang, Y. (2021). Emotion processing in congenital amusia: the deficits do not generalize to written emotion words. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 35(2), 101–116. Link
  6. Qin, Z., Zhang, C.# & Wang, W. S-Y. (2021). The effect of Mandarin listeners' music and pitch aptitude on their learning of Cantonese level-tones. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 149(1), 435–446. Link
  7. Pan, J., Zhang, C., Huang, X., & Yan, M.# (2021). Sandhi-tone words prolong fixation duration during silent sentence reading in Chinese. Reading and Writing, 34, 841–857. Link
2020
  1. Bakhtiar, M.#, Cheung, M. N., Shao, J., & Zhang, C. (2020). Categorical perception of the speech sounds in adults who stutter. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 35(2), 560–576. Link
  2. Shao, J., & Zhang, C.# (2020). Dichotic perception of lexical tones in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1411. Link
  3. Shao, J., Wang, L., & Zhang, C.# (2020). Talker processing in Mandarin-speaking congenital amusics. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63(5), 1361–1375. Link
  4. DiCanio, C.#, Zhang, C., Whalen, D. H., Amith, J., & García, R. C. (2020). Phonetic structure in Yoloxóchitl Mixtec consonants. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 50(3), 333–365. Link
2019
  1. Qin, Z.#, & Zhang, C.# (2019). The effect of overnight consolidation in the perceptual learning of non-native tonal contrasts. PLOS ONE, 14(12), e0221498. Link
  2. Bakhtiar, M. #, Zhang, C., & So, S. K.^ (2019). Impaired processing speed in categorical perception: Speech perception of children who stutter. PLOS ONE, 14(4), e0216124. Link
  3. Shao, J., & Zhang, C.# (2019). Talker normalization in typical Cantonese-speaking listeners and congenital amusics: Evidence from event-related potentials. NeuroImage: Clinical, 23, 101814. Link
  4. Shao, J., Lau, R. Y. M.^, Tang, P. O. C.^, & Zhang, C.# (2019). The effects of acoustic variation on the perception of lexical tone in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(1), 190–205. Link
2018
  1. Shao, J., & Zhang, C.# (2018). Context integration deficit in tone perception in Cantonese speakers with congenital amusia. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 144(4), EL333–EL339. Link
  2. Zhang, C.#, Shao, J., & Chen, S. (2018). Impaired perceptual normalization of lexical tones in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 144(2), 634–647. Link
  3. Zhang, C.#, & Shao, J. (2018). Normal pre-attentive and impaired attentive processing of lexical tones in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 8420. Link
  4. Sjerps, M. J., Zhang, C., & Peng, G.# (2018). Lexical tone is perceived relative to locally surrounding context, vowel quality to preceding context. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 44(6), 914–924. Link
  5. Zhang, C.# (2018). Online adjustment of phonetic expectation of lexical tones to accommodate speaker variation: A combined behavioural and ERP study. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 33(2), 175–195. Link
  6. Huang, X., & Zhang, C. (2018). A Corpus-Based Analysis on Code-Mixing Features in Mandarin-English Bilingual Children in Singapore. International Journal of Cognitive and Language Sciences, 12(4), 540–544. Link
2017
  1. Wang, J.*, Zhang, C.*, Wan, S., & Peng, G.# (2017). Is congenital amusia a disconnection syndrome? A study combining tract- and network-based analysis. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 473. Link
  2. Zhang, C.#, Shao, J., & Huang, X. (2017). Deficits of congenital amusia beyond pitch: Evidence from impaired categorical perception of vowels in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics. PLOS ONE, 12(8), e0183151. Link
  3. Zhang, C.#, Peng, G., Shao, J., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2017). Neural bases of congenital amusia in tonal language speakers. Neuropsychologia, 97, 18–28. Link
  4. Chen, S.#, Zhang, C., McCollum, A. G., & Wayland, R. (2017). Statistical modeling of phonetic and phonologised perturbation effects in tonal and non-tonal languages. Speech Communication, 88, 17–38. Link
2016
  1. Zhang, C.#, & Chen, S. (2016). Toward an integrative model of talker normalization. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42(8), 1252–1268. Link
  2. Zhang, C.#, Pugh, K. R., Mencl, W. E., Molfese, P. J., Frost, S. J., Magnuson, J. S., Peng, G.#, & Wang, W. S-Y. (2016). Functionally integrated neural processing of linguistic and talker information: An event-related fMRI and ERP study. NeuroImage, 124, 536–549. Link
2015 & before
  1. Zhang, C., Xia, Q., and Peng, G.# (2015). Mandarin third tone sandhi requires more effortful phonological encoding in speech production: Evidence from an ERP study. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 33, 149–162. Link
  2. Zheng, H.-Y., Peng, G.#, Chen, J.-Y., Zhang, C., Minett, J. W., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2014). The influence of tone inventory on ERP without focal attention: A cross-language study. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine, 2014, 1–7. Link
  3. Wang, R., & Zhang, C.# (2014). Effect of classifier system on object similarity judgment: A cross-linguistic study. Journal of Chinese Linguistics, 42(1), 188–217. Link
  4. Gu, F.*#, Zhang, C.*#, Hu, A., & Zhao, G. (2013). Left hemisphere lateralization for lexical and acoustic pitch processing in Cantonese speakers as revealed by mismatch negativity. NeuroImage, 83, 637–645. Link
  5. Zhang, C., Peng, G.#, & Wang, W. S-Y. (2013). Achieving constancy in spoken word identification: Time course of talker normalization. Brain and Language, 126(2), 193–202. Link
  6. Zhang, C., Peng, G.#, & Wang, W. S-Y. (2012). Unequal effects of speech and nonspeech contexts on the perceptual normalization of Cantonese level tones. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 132(2), 1088–1099. Link
  7. Peng, G.#, Zhang, C., Zheng, H.-Y., Minett, J. W., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2012). The effect of intertalker variations on acoustic-perceptual mapping in Cantonese and Mandarin tone systems. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55(2), 579–595. Link
  8. Li, B.#, Zhang, C., & Wayland, R. (2012). Acoustic characteristics and distribution of variants of /l/ in the Nanjing dialect. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 19(4), 281–300. Link
  9. Zhang, C., & Peng, G.# (2011). Review: Itahashi and Tseng: Computer processing of Asian spoken languages. Journal of Chinese Linguistics, 39(2), 510–521. Link
  10. Gong, T.#, Yang, R., Zhang, C., & Ansaldo, U. (2010). Review of the Summer Institute in Cognitive Sciences (2010): The Origins of Language. Biolinguistics, 4(4), 385–402. Link

Referred conference proceedings

2023
  1. Chen, X., & Zhang, C. (2023). Setting the “tone” first and integrating into the syllable later: An EEG study of lexical tonal encoding in Mandarin word production. In: M. Dong, Y. Lu, & R. Jiang (Eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Tone and Intonation (TAI 2023) (pp. 80–82). Link
  2. Chen, X., Lu, J., Qin, Z., Hu, X., & Zhang, C. (2023). Benefits of targeted memory reactivation in perceptual learning of non-native tones are associated with slow-oscillation phase and delta-theta power. In: M. Dong, Y. Lu, & R. Jiang (Eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Tone and Intonation (TAI 2023) (pp. 17–18). Link
  3. Wu, R., Qin, Z., & Zhang, C. (2023). Daytime Naps Consolidate Cantonese Tone Learning Through Talker Generalization. In: M. Dong, Y. Lu, & R. Jiang (Eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Tone and Intonation (TAI 2023) (pp. 19–20). Link
  4. Lan, W., Chen, X., & Zhang, C. (2023). An acoustic study of tone sandhi in Lishui Wu. In: R. Skarnitzl & J. Volín (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2023) (pp. 1945–1949). Link
2021
  1. Chen, X., & Zhang, C. (2021). Encoding of contextual tonal alternations in word production in Teochew. Proceedings of the first International Conference on Tone and Intonation (TAI 2021).
2020
  1. Qin. Z., & Zhang, C. (2020). How sleep-mediated memory consolidation modulates the generalization across talkers: evidence from tone identification. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Speech Prosody 2020 (SP 2020), 459–463. Link
2019
  1. Zhang, G., Shao, J., Wang, L., & Zhang, C. (2019). The perception of lexical tone in whispered speech by Mandarin-speaking congenital amusics. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of the Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2019), 3872–3876. Link
  2. Huang, X., Zuo, Y., & Zhang, C. (2019). Seven-year-olds reach an adult-like productivity in the application of Mandarin tone sandhi. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of the Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2019), 3125–3129. Link
  3. Shao, J., Wang, L., & Zhang, C. (2019). Impaired talker recognition in Mandarin-speaking congenital amusics. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of the Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2019), 1808–1812. Link
  4. Ho, O. Y., Shao, J., Ou, J., Law, S.-P., & Zhang, C. (2019). Congenital amusia and tone merger: Perception and production of lexical tones in Hong Kong Cantonese. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of the Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2019), 177–181. Link
2018
  1. Zhang, K., Sjerps M. J., Zhang, C., & Peng, G. (2018). Extrinsic normalization of lexical tones and vowels: Beyond a simple general contrastive perceptual mechanism. Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL 2018), 227–231. Link
  2. Zhang, G., Shao, J., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, C. (2018). Revisiting hemispheric lateralization for Cantonese lexical tone processing in dichotic listening. Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL 2018), 129–133. Link
  3. Huang, X., Zhang, G., & Zhang, C. (2018). A preliminary study on the productivity of Mandarin T3 sandhi in Mandarin speaking children. Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL 2018), 88–92. Link
  4. Ho, O. Y., Shao, J., Ou, J., Law, S.-P., & Zhang, C. (2018). Tone merging patterns in congenital amusia in Hong Kong Cantonese. Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL 2018), 134–138. Link
  5. Shao, J., Tang, P. O. C., & Zhang, C. (2018). The effect of syllable variation on the perception of lexical tones in Cantonese-speaking amusics. Proceedings of Speech Prosody 2018, 148–152. Link
  6. Zhang, G., Shao, J., Huang, X., Wang, L., & Zhang, C. (2018). Unequal impairment of native and non-native tone perception in Cantonese speakers with congenital amusia. Proceedings of Speech Prosody 2018, 562–566. Link
2017
  1. Shao, J., Mak, C. Y., & Zhang, C. (2017). The role of talker similarity in the perceptual learning of L2 tone categories. In: G. Gunzelmann, A. Howes, T. Tenbrink, & E. J. Davelaar (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 3125–3130). Link
2016
  1. Huang, X., Zhang, C., Chen, F., Sieg, J., Wang, L., & Shi, F. (2016). Effects of preceding vocabulary context on the perception of Mandarin vowels. Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing (ISCSLP 2016). Link
  2. Shao, J., Zhang, C., Peng, G., Yang, Y., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2016). Effect of noise on lexical tone perception in Cantonese-speaking amusics. Proceedings of Interspeech 2016, 272–276. Link
  3. Huang, X., Zhang, C., Shi, F., Yan, N., & Wang, L. (2016). Impaired vowel discrimination in Mandarin-speaking congenital amusics. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL 2016), 138–141. Link
2015 & before
  1. Zhang, C., Peng, G., Wang, X., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2015). Cumulative effects of phonetic context on speech perception. Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2015). Link
  2. Zhang, C., Peng, G. & Wang, W. S-Y. (2013). Effects of long-term acoustic experience and local context information on the perceptual accommodation of talker variability. Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Vol. 19, 060090. Link
  3. Zhang, C., Peng, G., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2012). Extrinsic context is crucial for talker normalization in Cantonese tone perception. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 131(4_Supplement), 3273–3273. Link
  4. Zhang, C., Peng, G., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2012). Normalizing talker variation in the perception of Cantonese level tones: Impact of speech and nonspeech contexts. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL 2012). Link
  5. Zhang, C., Peng, G. & Wang, W. S-Y. (2011). Effect of language experience on the categorical perception of Cantonese vowel duration. Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association (Interspeech 2011), 169–172. Link
  6. Zhang, C., Peng, G., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2011). Inter-talker variation as a source of confusion in Cantonese tone perception. Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS XVII), 2276–2279. Link
  7. Li, B. & Zhang, C. (2010). Effects of F0 dimensions in perceiving Mandarin tones. Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, 322–325. Link
  8. Zhang, C. (2010). 湘語祁陽方言中塞音性質的幾個觀察 [Observations of the acoustic characteristics of stops in the Qiyang Dialect]. Proceedings of the 9th Phonetic Conference of China.
  9. Zhang, C. (2009). Why would aspiration lower the pitch of the following vowel? Observations from Leng-shui-jiang Chinese. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association (Interspeech 2009), 2299–2302. Link
  10. Zhu, X., & Zhang, C. (2008). A seven-tone dialect in Southern China with falling-rising-falling contour: A linguistic acoustic analysis. Proceedings of the 9th Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association (Interspeech 2008), 1113–1115. Link

Book chapters

  1. Chen, X., & Zhang, C. (2023). Encoding of contextual sandhi tonal variants in speech production in Chaoshan Min: An implicit priming study. Festschrift in Honor of Prof. William S-Y. Wang on his 90th Birthday.
  2. Zhang, C., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2022). Perceptual normalization of lexical tones: Behavioral and neural evidence. In Huang, C.-R., Lin, Y.-H., and Chen, I.-H. (Eds.) Cambridge Handbook of Chinese Linguistics (Chapter 18, pp. 383-404). Cambridge University Press.
  3. Zhang, C. (2019). Tone and music processing in Chinese. In Huang, C.-R., Jing-Schmidt, Z., and Meisterernst, B. (Eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Applied Chinese Linguistics (pp. 673-688). London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
  4. Zhang, C. (2018). Wang men qiuxue shouji [Studying with Prof. William S-Y. Wang]. In Shen, Z., Kong, J., and Wang, F. (Eds.) Wang Men Qiuxue Ji: Festschrift in Honor of Prof. William S-Y. Wang on his 85th Birthday. Yunnan University Press. [in Chinese]
  5. Peng G., & Zhang, C. (2015). Tone perception. In Wang, W. S-Y., and Sun, C. (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Chinese Linguistics (pp. 516-530). Oxford University Press. [in Chinese]
  6. Zhang, C., & Peng, G. (2013). Productivity of Mandarin Third Tone sandhi: A wug test. In Peng G. and Shi F. (Eds.) Eastward Flows the Great River: Festschrift in Honor of Prof. William S-Y. Wang on his 80th Birthday (pp. 256-282). Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press.
  7. Zhu X., Jiao L., & Zhang C. (2010). Shengdiao si weidu [Four dimensions in tonal description]. In Pan W. Y. and Shen Z. W. (Eds.), The Joy of Research II: A Festschrift in Honor of Professor William S-Y. Wang on His Seventy-Fifth Birthday (pp. 401-419). Shanghai: Shanghai Education Press. [In Chinese]

Monographs

  1. Zhang, C., Lee, C.-Y., Wang, W. S., Waye, M. M. Y., eds. (2022). Relationship of Language and Music, Ten Years After: Neural Organization, Cross-domain Transfer and Evolutionary Origins. Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA. Link
  2. Zhang, C. (2018). Phonetic constancy in the perception of Chinese tones. Journal of Chinese Linguistics, Monograph Series Number 28. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.