Jelena Krivokapić

Jelena Krivokapić is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), appointed with tenure. She joined the Department of Linguistics in 2013 and specializes in the intersection of prosodic structure, speech production, and gesture-speech coordination. Her research explores how prosodic elements like prominence and phrasal boundaries influence articulation and body gestures, employing novel methods combining electromagnetic articulometry and motion capture.

Her work investigates the kinematic properties of both vocal tract and manual gestures, demonstrating that prosodic structure extends beyond speech to affect body movement. A key contribution is the 2017 study published in LabPhon, co-authored with Mark Tiede and Martha Tyrone, which revealed that manual gestures lengthen under prosodic prominence and boundaries, paralleling articulatory adjustments.

Jelena’s research bridges linguistics, psychology, and biomechanics, advancing understanding of multimodal language production. She has contributed to theoretical models like the π-gesture framework, integrating empirical findings from speech and gesture coordination. While no specific grants or labs are detailed in the provided texts, her work underscores interdisciplinary approaches to prosody and embodied language.