Chao Zhou

Assistant Professor · University of Lisbon

I am a phonologist working in the Department of General and Romance Linguistics at the University of Lisbon (ULisboa).

zhouchao at edu.ulisboa.pt
News Updates
🏆 Award May 2026
Honoured to receive the ULisboa/CGD Research Award 2026 for Linguistics from Caixa Geral de Depósitos, which aims to distinguish research excellence and incentivize prestigious international publications.
Paper 2026
New article with Silke Hamann to appear in Linguistic Inquiry — "A revised multi-modal formal account for orthography-induced sound patterns."

A central thread in my research is to combine theoretical modelling (BiPhon-HG and OT) and experimental methods to understand how abstract phonological knowledge is acquired, represented, and shaped by multilingual experience.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles
Full publication list

Teaching

University of Lisbon
  • Phonology: Theoretical Approaches and Experimental Methods
  • L2 Acquisition and Development
  • The Study of Human Language
  • Scientific & Technical Translation (Chinese–Portuguese)
University of Minho
  • Phonetics, Phonology and L2 Acquisition
  • Advanced Chinese Grammar
PhD Supervision
Ongoing
Alexandra Afonso Desenvolvimento das competências de perceção da fala em crianças portuguesas com desenvolvimento típico Development of speech perception competencies in Portuguese children with typical development PhD in Linguistics · University of Lisbon Co-supervision with Ana Catarina Baptista and Susana Rodrigues
Ongoing
Carolina Miranda Code-switching em falantes bilingues de Português Europeu e Chinês Mandarim: efeitos a nível suprassegmental Code-switching in bilingual speakers of European Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese: effects at the suprasegmental level PhD in Linguistics · University of Lisbon Co-supervision with Marisa Cruz
MA Supervision
Ongoing
Aira Nosolini A perceção do T3 sândi do chinês mandarim por falantes de herança e aprendentes L2 Perception of Mandarin T3 sandhi by heritage and L2 speakers MA in Estudos Interculturais Português/Chinês · University of Minho Co-supervision with Cristina Flores
2025
Nga In Lai Aquisição fonológica do português europeu por aprendentes bilingues cantonês-mandarim: restrições fonotáticas ou vantagens do bilinguismo? Phonological acquisition of European Portuguese by bilingual Cantonese-Mandarin learners: Phonotactic restrictions or advantages of bilingualism? MA in Linguistics · University of Lisbon Co-supervision with Adelina Castelo
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

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