Hi, I'm Chao Zhou.

I am an assistant professor in the Department of General and Romance Linguistics at University of Lisbon (ULisboa). Before becoming a faculty member at ULisboa, I have taught at University of Minho (2021 - 2022) and Polytechnic of Leiria (2021). My research lies at the crossroads between (Second) Language Acquisition and Phonology. Some specific topics that I have explored in my recent work are:

  • Interaction between phonology and orthography in (L2) speech
  • Structural influence on L2 speech perception and production
  • Acquisition of lexical tones (Mandarin) and stress (Portuguese)
  • Effective and rapid L2 Portuguese proficiency test - LextPT

    • email: zhouchao at edu.ulisboa.pt.

    Research output

    Journal articles

  • 2024. Zhou, C. & M. J. Freitas. Modelling the developmental path in the acquisition of /l/-final irregular plurals by Portuguese children. Language Acquisition. https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2024.2314029

  • 2024. Zhou, C. & S. Hamann. Modelling the acquisition of the Portuguese tap by L1-Mandarin learners: A BiPhon-HG account for individual differences, syllable-position effects and orthographic influences in L2 speech. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics. https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.9692

  • 2023. Zhou, C. & A. Rato. Syllable position effects in the perception of L2 Portuguese /l/ and /ɾ/ by L1-Mandarin learners. Second Language Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/02676583221137713

  • 2022. Flores, C., C. Zhou & C. Eira. “I no longer count in German”. On dominance shift in returnee heritage speakers. Applied Psycholinguistics. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716422000261

  • 2021. Zhou, C. & X. Li. LextPT: A reliable and efficient vocabulary size test for L2 Portuguese proficiency. Behavior Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-021-01731-1

  • 2021. Zhou, C. Dissertation Notice: L2 speech learning of European Portuguese /l/ and /ɾ/ by L1-Mandarin learners: Experimental evidence and theoretical modelling. Language Acquisition. DOI: 10.1080/10489223.2021.1952591

  • 2017. Zhou, C., M. Cruz & S. Frota. O ritmo da interlíngua na produção do Português Europeu por falantes nativos de Chinês Mandarim [Interlanguage Rhythm in European Portuguese production of native speakers of Mandarin Chinese]. Revista da Associação Portuguesa de Linguística, 3: 423-435. DOI: 10.26334/2183-9077/rapln3ano2017a22

    • Book chapters and conference proceedings

  • 2023. Berti, L. & C. Zhou. Relação entre produção e percepção das líquidas no Português: Dados de aquisição de L1 e L2. Fonologia do Português e Interfaces: Fenômenos da Aquisição e da Variação. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003294344-7

  • 2023. Cao, Y., C. Zhou & G. Hristovsky. Exploring the Phonetic Context Effects on the Production of Portuguese /ɾ/ by L1-Mandarin Learners. Proceedings of 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS). preprint

  • 2023. Zhou, C. O contraste lateral-rótico do português europeu e do chinês mandarim: análise comparativa e estudos de PLE. Linguística Contrastiva: Estudos Português - Chinês. Zhang, J. & Grosso, M. (eds.), University of Macau. preprint

  • 2022. Zhou, C. & A. Jesus. Portuguese Has Two Underlying Rhotics: Evidence from Lisbon and Carioca Varieties. Supplemental Proceedings of the 2021 Annual Meeting on Phonology. https://doi.org/10.3765/amp.v9i0.5167

  • 2022. Zhou, C. & M. J. Freitas. A ordem da aquisição dos plurais com lateral final do PE: uma análise à luz da Teoria da Otimidade. ATAS DO I PHONOSHUTTLE OPO - PONTE AÉREA DE FONOLOGIA. Link

  • 2021. Zhou, C., M. J. Freitas & A. Castelo. On the Acquisition of European Portuguese Liquid Consonants by L1-Mandarin Learners. Multilingualism and third language acquisition: learning and teaching trends, Pinto, J. & Alexandre, N. (eds.), Language Science Press. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4449767

  • 2020. Zhou, C. & S. Hamann. Cross-linguistic interaction between phonological categorization and orthography predicts prosodic effects in the acquisition of Portuguese liquids by L1-Mandarin learners. Proceedings of Interspeech 2020. http://doi.org/10.21437/interspeech.2020-2689

    • PhD Thesis

  • Zhou, C. (2021). L2 speech learning of European Portuguese /l/ and /ɾ/ by L1-Mandarin learners: Experimental evidence and theoretical modelling. (Doctoral dissertation), University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. Dissertation Committee: Maria João Freitas (Lisbon), Anabela Rato (Toronto), Paula Fikkert (Radboud).

    • Recent presentations

  • 2025. Zhou, Chao. & Guilherme D. Garcia. Orthography triggers gradient phonological weight effects in L2 stress perception. The 22nd Old-World Conference in Phonology (OCP22). Feb 5-7, Amsterdam.

  • 2024. Zhou, Chao. & Silke Hamann. Orthographic and perceptual cue integration in cross-language categorisation of two Romance language. The 21st Old World Conference in Phonology (OCP21). Feb 13-16, Leipzig. Slides

  • 2023. Zhou, Chao. & João Veríssimo. Testing OCP and tonal markedness effects in L2 tonal perception. 30th Manchester Phonology Meeting. May 25-27, Manchester.

    • Teaching

    At the University of Lisbon

  • "L2 Aquisition and Development", BA course, 1st semester, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.

  • "The Study of Human language", BA course, 1st semester (in Portuguese)/ 2rd semester (in English), 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.

  • "Scientific and Technical translation Chinese-Portuguese I & II", MA course, 1st semester/ 2rd semester, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.

  • "Language and Communication", BA course, 2rd semester (in English), 2022-2023.

    • At the University of Minho

  • "English Linguistics - Phonetics, Phonology and L2 acquisition", MA course, 2st semester (in English), 2021-2022.

  • "Advanced Chinese Grammar", MA course, 2st semester, 2021-2022.

  • "Chinese VI", BA course, 2st semester, 2021-2022.

    • At the Polytechnic of Leiria

  • "Chinese VII", BA course, 1st semester, 2021-2022.

  • "Expression and Communication in Chinese I", BA course, 1st semester, 2021-2022.

    • Thesis supervision

  • 2024. Xinyan Wang. Aquisição do processo de assimilação do vozeamento da fricativa /s/ em Português Europeu por aprendentes chineses (Acquisition of the voicing assimilation process in European Portuguese by L1-Mandarin learners). MA in Linguistics, University of Lisbon. Co-supervision with Adelina Castelo.

  • 2022, Yidan Cao. Efeitos do contexto adjacente na aquisição das consonantes líquidas em ataque ramificado do português europeu por aprendentes chineses (Effects of adjacent contexts on the acquisition of Portuguese liquid consonants by L1-Mandarin learners). MA in Linguistics, University of Lisbon. Co-supervision with Gueorgui Hristovsky.

  • ongoing. Nga In Lai. Efeitos das restrições fonotáticas do cantonês na aquisição do português europeu (Effects of Cantonese phonotactic restrictions on the acquisition of European Portuguese. MA in Linguistics, University of Lisbon. Co-supervision with Adelina Castelo.

  • ongoing. Saulo Ferreira. The effect of orthography on the acquisition of English word-initial /h/ by L1-Portuguese speakers. MA in English Language, Literature and Culture, University of Minho

    • LextPT: A reliable and efficient test for L2 Portuguese proficiency

    Vocabulary size has been recurrently shown to be a reliable indicator of second language (L2) proficiency. Among the many existing vocabulary tests for L2 proficiency, the LexTALE test and its equivalents are growing in popularity since they provide a rapid (within 5 minutes) and reliable way to assess the L2 proficiency of several languages (English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and Italian). In collaboration with Xinyi Li (Nova University of Lisbon), we developed a vocabulary size test for L2 Portuguese proficiency: LextPT. A large-scale validation study with 452 L2 learners of Portuguese demonstrates that LextPT is not only a valid and effective instrument to measure the L2 proficiency of both European and Brazilian Portuguese, but it is also highly reliable for learners with different L1 backgrounds.

    If you want to use a pen and paper version of LextPT, please click here. An online version is avaliable in Gorilla https://app.gorilla.sc/openmaterials/513634.