Research Area
The Research Area Laboratory Phonology investigates the physiological, phonological and socio-psychological aspects of the production, perception and reception of language. It also takes into account breathing, gestures and movements when speaking. The research is problem-oriented and focuses on phenomena that occur in the context of natural language use.
A phonetics laboratory and a motion capture laboratory are available to researchers.
DFG project
(AIRAL)
The AIRAL project investigates the acoustic properties of complex word forms in a sample of 40 languages from around the world, using data taken from the DoReCo corpus. The main research question that AIRAL seeks to answer is which phonetic cues exist to the internal morphological structure of words, especially with respect to the distinction between roots and affixes.
EU Horizon 2020 project
(COBRA - ESR5)
Interlocutors often adapt to each other during a conversation. Theoretical models of this adaptation focus on different levels of linguistic representations. ESR5’s project will additionally consider alignment on the underlying physiological level, with a focus on breathing, eye gaze and body temperature. Results will be important to understand the role of the body and its interplay with speech and language.
DFG project
(FLESH)
The project investigates the interplay between two modalities – speech and gestures – in relation to their temporal coordination and semantic congruency. Alongside these lines, it looks at the role of this coordination in creating linguistic conventions.
Project funded by the German-Polish Science Foundation
(GRANITUS)
The overall aim of the project is to gain better insight into the perceptual processes of foreign language accent. Particular attention is paid to grammatical tinnitus, i.e., the illusion of perceived grammatical errors in foreign speech accent. To meet the project goals neural and perceptual evidence is taken into account.
EU Horizon 2020 project
(MAG)
This project uses ultrasound and acoustic measures to examine the acquisition of sibilant fricatives in Sorbian. The primary goal is to understand how learners acquire the articulatory routines necessary to differentiate perceptually similar segments. A secondary goal is to document the articulatory properties of Sorbian sibilants using ultrasound and MRI technology.
DFG project
(PROSPER)
The project investigates an interaction of mimics and acoustic signal in human c ommunication that takes place either through the acoustic channel only or simultaneously through the acoustic and visual channels. The project also initiates a larger endeavor whose ultimate goal is to build algorithms that convert whispered speech into voiced speech.
DFG project
(SFB 1412-Register C02)
The subproject in the CRC 1412 „Register: Language-Users’ Knowledge of Situational-Functional Variation" focuses on the study of speech variation in formal and informal situations. What do speakers do when having to make formal requests in contrast to conversing informally? And what impact does the appearance of the interlocutor have on the pronunciation or choice of words? We are seeking to answer these questions by means of a newly developed experimental method.