Jonathan Harrington

Prof. Jonathan Harrington is a Professor of Phonetics and Digital Speech Processing and Director of the Institute of Phonetics and Speech Processing (IPS) at the University of Munich. He joined LMU in 2006 and specializes in experimental phonetics, laboratory phonology, and sound change. His work integrates real-time MRI studies, computational modeling, and large-scale speech databases. Current projects include SoundAct (ERC Advanced Grant, 2023–2028) exploring the actuation of sound change and InterAccent (ERC Advanced Grant, 2017–2023) investigating accent evolution in interaction. Notable past projects include studies on nasal coarticulation, speech impairment diagnostics via web-based tools, and the phonetics of Albanian, Mandarin, and German dialects.

Research interests span articulatory phonetics, the phonetic basis of sound change, and computational models of linguistic dynamics. He develops tools like the EMU-SDMS R package for speech database management and soundChangeR for agent-based modeling. His work bridges laboratory and field studies, addressing questions of speech production, perception, and historical change. Recent studies examine velum movement in Mandarin, vowel nasalization in German, and compensatory lengthening in Albanian dialects.

Grants include multiple ERC awards and German Research Council funding. His publications (over 100 articles) focus on articulatory MRI analysis, sociophonetic methods, and the interplay between phonetic detail and linguistic structure. He collaborates internationally, mentoring researchers in speech technology and dialectology.