Talk by Constantijn Kaland (Universität zu Köln)

by Tina Bögel Comment Closed
We are happy to announce a talk by Constantijn Kaland in the Phonology Colloquium. Room: IG 4.301 Date: December 3, 2024 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct Title: "Categorizing productions of prosody and intonation" Abstract: In recent years, there is an increased interest in the application of cluster analysis in the analysis of f0 contours. Studies have used this technique to explore previously under-documented languages and to confirm and refine intonation theory of well-studied languages. Cluster analysis is useful, because it is able to group contours based on their numerical similarity, facilitating the analysis and interpretation of f0 variation. While the output of the clustering does not constitute intonational phonology, it is informative to our understanding of phonological categories. The R application 'Contour Clustering' primarily focuses on f0 contours, and recent updates also allow for the inclusion of other prosodic cues such as intensity and duration (https://constantijnkaland.github.io/contourclustering/). In this way, the methodological approach offers an effective way of scrutinizing prosodic variation of all kinds. It poses no limits to the type of data (spontaneous to...
Read More

Talk by Justine Mertz (Köln) in the Phonology Colloqium

by Tina Bögel Comment Closed
We are happy to announce a talk by Justine Mertz in the Phonology Colloquium. Room: IG 4.301 Date: November 20, 2024 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct Title: "Investigating prosodic modulation in French Sign Language (LSF): A kinematic analysis of sign language coarticulation” Abstract: During interaction, speakers often modulate coarticulatory cues to either amplify or reduce perceptual distinctions between competing speech units. Anticipatory coarticulation has been observed in visual-gestural languages as well. However, coarticulatory strategies in sign language remain underexplored. This study offers the first investigation of coarticulation in French Sign Language (LSF) using 3D-Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA) for precise kinematic analysis of sign production. A deaf native signer was recorded (EMA/video) producing phonological sign pairs involving '1'- and/or '3'-handshapes. The kinematic data reveal the presence of coarticulation in varied discourse contexts, at both temporal and spatial levels. Using a dynamical framework (Articulatory Phonology), we interpret these kinematic patterns as systematic overlapping processes rooted in the phonological system....
Read More

Talk by Marieke Einfeldt (University of Konstanz)

by Tina Bögel Comment Closed
We are happy to announce a talk by Marieke Einfeldt (Konstanz) in the Phonology Colloquium. Room: IG 4.301 Date: November 06, 2024 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct Title: "Differences of prenuclear accents and stops in the two varieties of Zurich German speakers: A within speaker comparison” Abstract: While research on the two languages of bilingual speakers has already received a lot of attention (see e.g., Chang, 2021 for an overview), research on the two varieties of bilectal speakers is still scarce (Kupisch et al., 2023). I will present findings from the analyses of two closely related Swiss German varieties (Zurich German and Swiss Standard German) spoken by the same speakers and compare them to a Standard German control group. We focused on segmental (VOT and closure duration) and prosodic (prenuclear accents) properties that have the potential to differ in the dialectal and in the standard realizations: Zurich German stops have been reported to differ based on closure duration, while Standard German stops are differentiated based on VOT (Ladd &...
Read More

Talk by Laura McPherson (Dartmouth College & Universität zu Köln)

by Tina Bögel Comment Closed
We are happy to announce a talk by Laura McPherson (Dartmouth College & Universität zu Köln) in the Phonology Colloquium. Room: IG 4.301. If you wish to participate virtually via Zoom, please contact Alina Gregori for the link.  Date: June 5, 2024 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct  Title: Spoken rhythms and drummed speech: Bidirectional iconicity at the crossroads of language and music Abstract: Language and music share many of the same raw ingredients, including pitch, rhythm, prosodic grouping, and timbre. This talk focuses on an underexplored aspect of the language-music connection: the iconic representation of one modality using the other, through onomatopoeia (music encoded as speech) and musical surrogate languages (speech encoded as music). In particular, I focus on drums to probe the bidirectional nature of this iconicity, what differences exist in the two directions of encoding, and what this tells us about the language and music faculties. All languages are capable of encoding percussive sounds through onomatopoeia, but certain linguistic and musical traditions...
Read More

Talk by Katharina Zahner-Ritter (Trier University)

by Tina Bögel Comment Closed
We are happy to announce a talk by Katharina Zahner-Ritter (Trier University) in the Phonology Colloquium. Room: IG 4.301 Date: January 31, 2024 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct Title: Accounting for the dynamics in the L2 acquisition of intonation: Cross-linguistic influence, proficiency, and individual variation Abstract: Learning a foreign language (L2) is a challenge for learners, especially when it comes to intonation and timing. Even advanced learners have been shown to differ from native (L1) speakers with respect to pitch accent placement or pitch accent type. Comparatively fewer studies have focused on the fine phonetic detail of intonational patterns in the L2, e.g., alignment, scaling, or the shape of contour. In the talk, I will present data from different experiments that focus on the dynamics in the L2 acquisition of fine phonetic detail. One study targets the acquisition of tonal alignment configurations in L2 German, testing learners of tone- and non-tone languages in an imitation paradigm. Another study concentrates on the...
Read More