My research concentrates on sociolinguistics, Chinese linguistics, and second language acquisition, which are motivated by the following questions: (1) How and why language is ever changing in our society (2) How a tonal language (e.g., Chinese) speaker processes, adapts and produces a non-tonal language (e.g., English) (3) What is the trajectory and influential factors of L2 acquisition,
sociolinguistics
My primary scholarly interest lies in the English speech of the second-generation Chinese Americans in the Midwest.
Manuscripts
Zheng, M. (2018) Accommodation and ethnic identity construction: Chinese American English in Troy, Michigan. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Presentations
2017 Ethnic Identity Construction: The Interlocutor Effect on TOOTH in Chinese American English. Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 46), Madison, Wisconsin, November 2-5.
2017 Chinese Americans’ stylistic variation of the Northern Cities Shift in Troy, Michigan. Poster presented at Georgetown University Round Table (GURT) 2017, Georgetown University, March 10-12.
2017 Speech Accommodation and Ethnic Identities: Chinese-American participation to the Northern Cities Vowel Shift in the Midwest. Paper presented at the 9th Annual Graduate Academic Conference, Michigan State University, February 25.
2016 “You don’t like white and learn more like white”: Chinese American accommodation to the Northern Cities Shift in Southeast Michigan. Paper presented at The Graduate Linguistics Expo at Michigan State (GLEAMS), East Lansing, MI, February 27-28.
2015 Chinese-American accommodation to the Northern Cities Shift in Southeast Michigan. Poster presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 44), Toronto, Canada, October 22-25.
Another sociolinguistics interest of mine is language attitude. To be more specific, I'm interested in the Language Attitude and Linguistic Practice of Northeastern Immigrants in Beijing, China.
Conference Proceeding
2017 Zheng, M. & Liu, J. Language attitude and linguistic practice of northeastern migrants in Beijing, China. Proceedings of the 29th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL‐29).
Presentation
2017 Language Attitude and Linguistic Practice of Northeastern Migrants in Beijing, China (with Jie Liu). Paper presented at The 29th North American Conference on Chinese linguistics (NACCL-29), Rutgers University, June 16-18.
Manuscripts
Zheng, M. (2018) Accommodation and ethnic identity construction: Chinese American English in Troy, Michigan. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Presentations
2017 Ethnic Identity Construction: The Interlocutor Effect on TOOTH in Chinese American English. Paper presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 46), Madison, Wisconsin, November 2-5.
2017 Chinese Americans’ stylistic variation of the Northern Cities Shift in Troy, Michigan. Poster presented at Georgetown University Round Table (GURT) 2017, Georgetown University, March 10-12.
2017 Speech Accommodation and Ethnic Identities: Chinese-American participation to the Northern Cities Vowel Shift in the Midwest. Paper presented at the 9th Annual Graduate Academic Conference, Michigan State University, February 25.
2016 “You don’t like white and learn more like white”: Chinese American accommodation to the Northern Cities Shift in Southeast Michigan. Paper presented at The Graduate Linguistics Expo at Michigan State (GLEAMS), East Lansing, MI, February 27-28.
2015 Chinese-American accommodation to the Northern Cities Shift in Southeast Michigan. Poster presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 44), Toronto, Canada, October 22-25.
Another sociolinguistics interest of mine is language attitude. To be more specific, I'm interested in the Language Attitude and Linguistic Practice of Northeastern Immigrants in Beijing, China.
Conference Proceeding
2017 Zheng, M. & Liu, J. Language attitude and linguistic practice of northeastern migrants in Beijing, China. Proceedings of the 29th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL‐29).
Presentation
2017 Language Attitude and Linguistic Practice of Northeastern Migrants in Beijing, China (with Jie Liu). Paper presented at The 29th North American Conference on Chinese linguistics (NACCL-29), Rutgers University, June 16-18.
Chinese Linguistics - loanword phonology
I'm interested in the tonal perception and adaptation of English loanword in Mandarin Chinese.
Conference Proceeding
2015 Zheng, M. & Durvasula, K. English loanwords in Mandarin Chinese: A perception experiment approach. Proceedings of the 27th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL‐27). Vol 2: 462‐480.
Presentation
2016 Phonological Knowledge beyond the Word-domain: The Case of Illusory Consonants (with Karthik Durvasula, Chenchen Xu, Xiaomei Wang and Yen-Hwei Lin). Paper presented at The Manchester Phonology Meeting (MFM 24), Manchester, UK, May 26-28.
2015 English loanwords in Mandarin Chinese: A perception experiment approach. (with Karthik Durvasula). Paper presented at The 27th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-27), Los Angeles, April 3-5.
Conference Proceeding
2015 Zheng, M. & Durvasula, K. English loanwords in Mandarin Chinese: A perception experiment approach. Proceedings of the 27th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL‐27). Vol 2: 462‐480.
Presentation
2016 Phonological Knowledge beyond the Word-domain: The Case of Illusory Consonants (with Karthik Durvasula, Chenchen Xu, Xiaomei Wang and Yen-Hwei Lin). Paper presented at The Manchester Phonology Meeting (MFM 24), Manchester, UK, May 26-28.
2015 English loanwords in Mandarin Chinese: A perception experiment approach. (with Karthik Durvasula). Paper presented at The 27th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-27), Los Angeles, April 3-5.
Second language acquisition
I. Currently, I am working with my colleague on an empirical study of Chinese tone three (T3) sandhi. Through investigation of production and perception data, we investigate the necessity of the explicit teaching of tone sandhi rules; whether T3 alternation is possible for speakers without any knowledge of the rules; and if it is possible, what MC native speakers’ judgment would be to those production data in a perception task.
Manuscripts
Zheng, M. & Liu, J. (2018) Linguistic knowledge and language teachingL An experimental approach to the role of tone sandhi rules in Chinese class. Manuscript in preparation.
Presentation
2018 Linguistic knowledge and language teaching: An experiment approach to the role of tone sandhi rules in Chinese class (with Liu, J.). Paper presented at The ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo, New Orleans, LA, November 16-18.
2018 Reconsidering Mandarin tone 3 sandhi teaching: Evidence from production (with Liu, J.). Paper presented at the 26th Princeton Conference on Chinese Language Instruction, Princeton University, April 27-28.
II. What is the development of Chinese as a second language (L2)? Under the framework of the Complexity Theory, through quantitative and qualitative analysis, this research reveals the non-linear, variable trajectory and influential factors of L2 acquisition, and sheds light on pedagogical practices.
Presentation
2017 Why the Fluctuation: Understanding the Complex Process of L2 Acquisition (with Jie Liu). Paper presented at The ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo, Nashville, TN, November 17-19.
Manuscripts
Zheng, M. & Liu, J. (2018) Linguistic knowledge and language teachingL An experimental approach to the role of tone sandhi rules in Chinese class. Manuscript in preparation.
Presentation
2018 Linguistic knowledge and language teaching: An experiment approach to the role of tone sandhi rules in Chinese class (with Liu, J.). Paper presented at The ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo, New Orleans, LA, November 16-18.
2018 Reconsidering Mandarin tone 3 sandhi teaching: Evidence from production (with Liu, J.). Paper presented at the 26th Princeton Conference on Chinese Language Instruction, Princeton University, April 27-28.
II. What is the development of Chinese as a second language (L2)? Under the framework of the Complexity Theory, through quantitative and qualitative analysis, this research reveals the non-linear, variable trajectory and influential factors of L2 acquisition, and sheds light on pedagogical practices.
Presentation
2017 Why the Fluctuation: Understanding the Complex Process of L2 Acquisition (with Jie Liu). Paper presented at The ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo, Nashville, TN, November 17-19.
Last updated: February, 2019