Research

Research Interests
I work in the area of bilingualism and multilingualism with a focus on the impact of language contact on individuals and the community they live in. My research approach is to explore both cognitive and social aspects of language use. Currently, I am working on language and emotion in multilinguals, language attitudes, identity and social categorisation and communicative aspects of aging. A common thread running through my research is the connection between the self and the social. The self (person) and the community is intricately bound and to fully understand language use, we need to understand the communities we live in. Invariably, our social interactions will have an impact on the way information is organised cognitively and I continue to navigate the nexus between these two fields
Bi-/multilingualism: Language and emotion in bi-/multilinguals
Language attitude and identity in multilingual contexts
Language and ageing in multilingual contexts
Research Links:
Grants
Role Year Project Title Amount (S$)  Source of Grant
PI March 2022 Bilingualism and Autism: Investigating Language and Social Communication Outcomes Through Intervention in Listening and Oral Skills $19 954 Social Science & Humanities Research (SSHR)
Co-I December 2020 Stigma and Discrimination in late presentation: an ethnographic and linguistic analysis $50 000 NCID
Co-I August 2020 What’s in a sign?: Typography in repurposed traditional architecture and its role in Singapore’s multicultural linguistic landscape $75 000 ACrF Tier 1
Co-I January 2020 Singspeak: Automating speech and humanizing machines $938,548 AcRF Tier 2
Visiting Professor December 2018 Visiting Professorship for April 2019 €3,480 CNRS. Host: EHESS, CRLAO
PI 2018 ABC (Asia-Pacific Babylab Constellation) 2018 conference grant $20,000 CLASS, CoHASS
PI 2017 Nov – 2019 Oct Silent but all ears: The critical role of speech perception and input in 6-12 month bilingual infants $74,668 AcRF Tier 1
PI 2017 Mar -2020 Feb MICE – A multilingual corpus of Malay, Indonesian, Chinese and English. $99,860.67 AcRF Tier 1
PI 2017 CLASS Visiting Scholars Grant $9,500 CLASS, CoHASS
PI 2017 Workshop on Language and Emotion, April 30th to May 6th 2018. €68,000 Fondation des Treilles
Partner Investigator 2014 Centre of Excellence For the Dynamics of Language AU$28 million Australian Research Council
Co-I August 2012-2014 Exploring the crossroads of linguistic diversity: language contact in S.E. Asia $527,000 AcRF Tier 2
Visiting Professor March 2013 Visiting Professorship for April 2014 €2,300 EHESS
PI March 2013 Special Panel on Early Childhood Acquisition $80,000 Lee Kuan Yew Early Childhood Foundation Grant
Erasmus Scholar 2011/2012 Erasmus Mundus Exchange Scholarship €5,000 European Science Foundation
PI February 2011 Digital Intangible Heritage of Asia $250,000 New Silk Road Fund, CoHASS
PI March 2010 “Asian Heroes” $10,000 Institute for Media Innovation
Co-I March 2010 “Archive of Indigenous Languages in Asia” $100,000 Institute for Media Innovation
PI April 2009 “Language and the Elderly” $5,000 School of HSS
PI March 2009 “Singapore Voices” $5,000 Institute for Media Innovation
Co-I March 2009 “Digital Archive of SE Asia” $5,000 Institute for Media Innovation
Co-I December 2007 “Language Attitudes in Singapore” $195,822 Academic Research Fund (Acrf) Tier 1