Sep 21
Toward A Grammar of Timing in Speech Production
Please join the Linguistics Department for a talk by our Visiting Assistant Professor, Chris Geissler.
When you speak a language, especially if you have learned an alphabetic writing system, you intuitively understand speech to consist of discrete sounds in a linear order. Similarly, theories of linguistics often assume discrete, linear representations of speech sounds. However, the physical movements that produce speech are constantly blending and overlapping with each other.
In this talk, I argue that a new wave of studies on the timing of speech movements requires us to rethink our understanding of linguistic structure. I draw on data from my own laboratory experiments with Tibetan, as well as ongoing work on English using simulated vocal tracts. These results challenge existing models of speech timing, and raise fundamental questions about the relationship between mind and body.
from Linguistics