Emotional prosody in Cantonese speech
I study how vocal cues encode emotion, and how listeners perceive those cues across speech contexts.
Research
Research interests, publications, and presentations.
My work centers on emotional prosody, Cantonese speech, and the ways speech research can connect with education and applied practice.
Tone, accentedness, and L2 Cantonese
My work also looks at tone production, accentedness, comprehensibility, and how advanced learners shape their Cantonese speech.
From research to real-world tools
I am interested in turning research-adjacent ideas into accessible digital experiences, especially with AI speeding up prototyping and implementation.
All publications
Journal articles and conference papers.
Publications are grouped by type and listed in reverse chronological order.
Journal articles
- 2025
Han, D., & Yang, Y. (2025). Exploring the Contributions of Various Acoustic Features in Cantonese Vocal Emotions. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 68(11), 5226-5237.
First-author article on how different acoustic cues contribute to Cantonese vocal emotions.
Open link - 2025
Yang, Y., Hou, J., Zou, Y., & Han, D. (2025). Acoustic Analysis and Perceptual Evaluation of Second Language Cantonese Tones Produced by Advanced Mandarin-Speaking Learners. Applied Sciences, 15(12), 6590.
Open link - 2024
Zou, Y., Yang, Y., & Han, D. (2024). The effects of language dominance on the L1 and L2 tone production of Mandarin-Cantonese bilinguals. JASA Express Letters, 4(12), 125201.
Open link
Conference papers
- 2023
Han, D., & Yu, M. (2023). A Perceptual Study on the Distinctive Features of Entering Tones in Guangzhou Cantonese. In Proceedings of Hanyang International Symposium on Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language 2023, 212-213, Seoul.
- 2023
Yang, Y., & Han, D. (2023). Language dominance influences L1 attrition and L2 acquisition of lexical tones: Data from Mandarin-speaking immigrants in Hong Kong. In Proceedings of Hanyang International Symposium on Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language 2023, 50-51, Seoul.
- 2023
Yang, Y., Han, D., Wong, S. M., Chan, C. S., Leung, C. Y., & Chen, X. (2023). Production of Cantonese tones by Mandarin-speaking immigrants: Acoustic and perceptual measurements. In Proceedings of ICPhS 2023, 1970-1974, Prague.
Talks and presentations
Conference talks, posters, and presentation records.
- 2025
Yang, Y., Zou, Y., & Han, D. (2025, April). Factors contributing to accentedness and comprehensibility in L2 Cantonese read speech of Mandarin learners. Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Theoretical East Asian Psycholinguistics, Tokyo.
- 2024
Yang, Y., Zou, Y., & Han, D. (2024, December). Acoustic correlates of accentedness and comprehensibility in L2 Cantonese checked syllables of Mandarin learners. Paper presented at the 2024 Annual Research Forum of the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
- 2024
Han, D., & Yang, Y. (2024, July). Gender differences in acoustic features of Cantonese emotional speech. Paper presented at the 15th International Conference on Evolutionary Linguistics, Changsha.
- 2024
Han, D., & Yang, Y. (2024, June). Constructing a Physiologically Validated Cantonese Emotional Speech Dataset. Paper presented at The Seventh Forum on Cantonese Linguistics (FoCaL-7), Hong Kong.
- 2024
Han, D., & Yang, Y. (2024, June). 粤语学习流动应用程式现状调查研究 / Investigation of Cantonese Learning Applications in the Apple App Store. Paper presented at International Conference on Teaching and Learning Standard Chinese and Cantonese as a Second Language 2024, Hong Kong.
- 2024
Yang, Y., & Han, D. (2024, June). Revisiting tone merger in production and perception of Hong Kong Cantonese. Poster presented at the International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences 2024, Nijmegen.
- 2023
Fan, C., & Han, D. (2023, June). The development of the [n] pronunciation in Hong Kong Cantonese: Perceptual evaluation on radio dramas from the 1980s and 2010s. Paper presented at the 6th Forum on Cantonese Linguistics, Hong Kong.
- 2021
Han, D. (2021, July). 在线汉语多媒体语料库的构建及应用 / The establishment and application of the online Chinese multimedia corpus. Paper presented at The 11th East-Asian Graduate Forum on Teaching Chinese as an International Language, Hong Kong.