Abstract

Language acquisition is a fluid and dynamic process determined by both learner-internal and environmental factors. My research takes an individual differences approach with the aims of specifying the influence of multiple factors and drawing practical implications for spoken language assessment. In this talk I will highlight several lessons we learned through the study of childhood bilingualism, second language acquisition, children with developmental language disorder, and children with autism spectrum disorder. These lessons delineate the complex effects of compromised learning system, reduced language input, and the typological features of the languages to be learned on learning outcomes. In addition, they provide implications regarding disentangling differences from disorders in bilingual children and markers of language disorders in typologically distinct languages.

About the Speaker

Professor Li Sheng is a doctoral supervisor and Chair of the Research Committee in the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is also a Visiting Professor at Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, a Guest Professor at Shanghai Maritime University, and an Innovative Talent recruited under the Shanghai Pudong New Area Hundred Talents Plan. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar. From 2007 to 2021, she held academic positions at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Delaware. With the goal of advancing the understanding of language development mechanisms and improving the quality of life for individuals with language disorders, Professor Sheng has conducted research at multiple levels, including basic, translation, and clinical studies. In recent years, her research has focused on how learner-internal factors (e.g., learning ability and executive function), environmental factors (e.g., quantity and quality of language input), and language factors (e.g., features of the target language) collectively shape learning outcomes. She has led or participated in numerous research projects funded by agencies such as the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong, the National Academy of Education (U.S.), the Spencer Foundation (U.S.), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the Ministry of Education of China (Humanities and Social Sciences Project). She previously served as an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and serves as a reviewer for over 30 leading international journals as well as research grant agencies in several countries and regions like the U.S., Singapore, Austria, and Hong Kong.