Projects

DIA-SYN-PHON

Project summary:

Cross-linguistically, segments occurring in prosodically prominent positions manifest on the one hand a resistance to phonological processes and to neutralization, and on the other hand, they are frequently the target of a small class of phonological processes. This project proposes a unified, phonetically based account of these two seemingly divergent behaviors. It combines three perspectives in a novel way. First, the study of the perceptual precursors of these processes. Second, the study of the acoustic, articulatory and aerodynamic properties of the segments involved in these processes, to test the hypothesis that the typology emerges diachronically from the phonetic effects of prominence enhancement. Third, the study of whether – and how – these precursors are encoded in the synchronic grammar of the learner. The project brings together a wide range of experimental methodologies thanks to a multidisciplinary collaboration of researchers with complementary

expertise.

Administrative details:

Funding: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Project DIA-SYN-PHON, ANR-21-CE28-0008 (2022 - 2025)

PI: Maria Giavazzi (DEC, ENS-PSL)

Post-doc researcher: Bowei Shao (DEC, ENS-PSL)

Collaborators: Ioana Chitoran (UFR Linguistique, U. de Paris), Cécile Fougeron (LPP, Sorbonne Nouvelle), Anne Hermes (LPP,  Sorbonne Nouvelle), and Sharon Peperkamp (LSCP, DEC, ENS-PSL)