Prof. Quentin Zhen Qin is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics in the Division of Humanities, and Associate Director of Center for Chinese Linguistics. Prior to joining HKUST in 2020, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Center for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Prof. Qin’s current research uses psycholinguistic methods to examine how lexical tones in Chinese languages are perceptually learned and consolidated by second-language learners over the lifespan.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6117-7809

Lab website: https://slablab.weebly.com

Research Interests

Phonetics, Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Perception and Processing of Chinese tones.

Representative Publications

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. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00058

Qin, Z. & Zhang, J. W. (2022). The use of tonal coarticulation cues in Cantonese spoken word recognition.  JASA Express Letters, 2, 035202. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0009728

Qin, Z. (2022). The second-language productivity of two Mandarin tone sandhi patterns.  Speech Communication, 138, 98-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2022.02.009

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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105029

Qin, Z., Zhang, C., & Wang, W. S-Y. (2021). The effect of Mandarin listeners' musical and pitch aptitude on perceptual learning of Cantonese level-tones. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 149, 435-446. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0003330

Qin, Z. & Zhang, C. (2019). The effect of overnight consolidation in the perceptual learning of non-native tonal contrasts. PLoS ONE, 14(12), e0221498. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221498

Qin, Z., Tremblay, A., & Zhang, J. (2019). Influence of within-category tonal information in the recognition of Mandarin-Chinese words by native and non-native listeners: An eye-tracking study. Journal of Phonetics, 73, 144-157. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2019.01.002

Connell, K., Hüls S., Martínez-García, M.-T., Qin, Z., Shin, S., Yan, H., & Tremblay, A. (2018). English learners’ use of segmental and suprasegmental cues to stress in lexical access: An eye-tracking study. Language Learning, 68, 635-668. http://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12288

Qin, Z., Chien, Y., & Tremblay, A. (2017). Processing of word-level stress by Mandarin-speaking second language learners of English. Applied Psycholinguistics, 38(3), 541-570. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716416000321

Qin Z. & Jongman, A. (2016). Does second language experience modulate perception of tones in a third language? Language and Speech, 59(3), 318-338. http://doi.org/10.1177/0023830915590191