Ruoqian (Lucy) Cheng

Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas

Hi, I am Ruoqian (Lucy) Cheng, a second year graduate student in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Kansas. My research involves phonetics and psycholinguistics , with experimental approaches to explore the acosutic and perceptual cues in human speech processing. Particularly, I am interested in the sound change and variation in Chinese Languages. Currently I am working crosslinguistically on English, Mandarin, and my mother tongue, Eastern Min (Fuzhou) . I am affliated to the Phonetics and Psycholinguistics Laboratory.
Here is my complete CV .

Education

2017 - Now	M. A. / Ph. D. in Linguistics
	University of Kansas, United States
2013 - 2017	B. A. in Chinese Language
	Fudan University, Shanghai, China
2015 - 2016	Exchange Student
	University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Research

Ongoing project :
Acoustic analysis of nasal and lateral consonants: the merger in Eastern Min
While the contrast between word initial [n] and [l] exists in many languages, such as English and Mandarin, the merger between [n] and [l] appears widely in many Chinese languages. Eastern Min is a language with the [n~l] merger in progress.
In order to test the merger from an acoustic aspect, we investigated the [n] vs [l] contrast in English and Mandarin to establish reliable acoustic cues that distinguish [n] from [l]. Acoustic analysis supported that [n] and [l] were merging in Eastern Min. We also found perceptual evidence for the merger.
Meanwhile, the merger showed a retreat among the younger speakers in Eastern Min, which might due to the younger speakers' larger exposure to Mandarin.

Publication :
Ruoqian Cheng (2017). 福建闽侯方言的疑问句研究 ; (The Interrogative System of Minhou Min). In H. Tao (eds.), 《汉语方言疑问范畴研究》(The Study of Interrogative System of Chinese Dialects). Zhongxi Book Company, Shanghai, China.

Professional Experience

2017 - Now	Teaching Assistant, Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas
	LING 110: Language and Mind
2016 - 2017	Research Assistant, Dept. of Chinese Language and Literature, Fudan University
	Assisted Prof. Huan Tao by translation and word-list revision for a sociolinguistic study of Shanghainese.

Photography

Capturing joyful moments in daily life leads me to value and appreciate every single day.

Lucy Cheng