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Zsuzsanna FagyalView profile

Professor

• Sociophonetics
• Language Variation
• French Language
• +9 more

Zsuzsanna Fagyal is a Professor in the Department of French and Italian at the University of Illinois, with additional appointments in Linguistics, the European Union Center, and the Center for Global Studies. Her interdisciplinary work bridges language, society, and culture with particular focus on French-speaking contexts and multilingual urban environments. Her academic credentials include: Ph.D. in Linguistics (Sciences du Langage) from University of Paris III, Sorbonne Nouvelle (1995) M.A. in Russian and Slavic Languages from ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University (1993) M.A. in French and Romance Languages from ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University (1990) Graduate Minor in European Union Studies from University of Nancy II, France (1990) Professor Fagyal's research specializes in sociophonetics and language variation, particularly in contemporary French urban contexts. Her fingerprint analysis reveals expertise in Speaker analysis, Utterance patterns, France-related linguistics, Phonetics, Language Change, Phonology, Intonation, and Parisian speech patterns. She investigates how social factors like ethnicity, gender, and age influence phonetic variation in multicultural settings, especially among youth in Paris. Her methodological approach combines quantitative analysis with sociolinguistic theory to track language change in real-time. Analysis of her publication trajectory shows a progression from traditional sociolinguistic studies of French language variation toward computational approaches. While maintaining her core focus on French phonetics and sociophonetics, she has increasingly engaged with digital media linguistics, speech technology, and AI-assisted dataset creation. Her recent work demonstrates a strategic expansion from Parisian youth vernaculars to broader questions of language policy, multilingualism in Europe, and ethical considerations in speech technology development. Professor Fagyal has been actively involved in academic service with numerous invited talks including 'Voicing integration: Gender-split and variable phonology in multi-ethnic youth vernaculars in Paris' (2013), 'Speech rhythm and vowel processes in Multicultural London English and Multicultural Paris French' (2015), and 'Phonetic variation and change in contemporary Parisian French' (2015). She has chaired significant events such as the Symposium on the 20th Anniversary of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (2012) and the 43rd Annual New Ways of Analyzing Variation (2013).

Anne RiippaView profile

Lecturer

• Translation Studies
• Second Language Acquisition
• French Linguistics
• +3 more

Anne Riippa is a University Lecturer in Translation Studies at the Department of Languages, University of Helsinki. She holds a PhD (Filosofian tohtori) from Université Paris III - Sorbonne Nouvelle (2006), specializing in modern literature and comparative studies. Her research focuses on language education, particularly French as a second language, with an emphasis on prosody, intonation patterns in learner speech, and the role of literature in language teaching. She has led multiple research projects including studies on literary text usage in emotion and language learning, and features of Finnish learners' French pronunciation. Riippa has published extensively across 2003–2024, with key works exploring biblical rewritings in literature, intertextuality in Camus, and pedagogical applications of literature. Her recent projects include analyzing exclamation mark prosody in learner speech and the intonation of interrogative statements. She received the 2024 Humanistisen tiedekunnan Kannustuspalkkio and 2019 Hyvä Opettaja award for teaching excellence. Education: Sorbonne Nouvelle (PhD 2006), Master 2 RECHERCHE de langues (2006) Key roles: Principal Investigator in multiple language education projects Professional activities: Organized conferences on translation and literature, guest lectures on Camus and Slimani, and media appearances discussing translation's societal role Her research bridges linguistics, pedagogy, and literary studies, with particular attention to cross-cultural communication and emotional intelligence development through language learning.

Elisa PassoniView profile

Research Fellow

• (Socio)phonetics
• Experimental phonetics
• Bilingualism
• +5 more

Elisa Passoni is a Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, part of the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. She holds a PhD in linguistics and specializes in experimental (socio)phonetics, focusing on bilingual speech production and its sociolinguistic dimensions. Her work integrates methodologies from experimental phonetics, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics to explore how bilinguals modulate pitch range and other phonetic features to align with linguistic norms and express identity. Her research interests include bilingualism, L2 acquisition, L1 attrition, and the role of individual variation in speech. She employs advanced statistical techniques to analyze phonetic data and has contributed to understanding the impact of social factors on linguistic behavior. Her studies frequently involve cross-linguistic comparisons, such as investigating Venetian influence on Cretan Greek intonation and pitch range differences in Japanese-English bilinguals. Elisa has published in top-tier journals like Language and Speech and presented at international conferences such as the International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. Her work highlights the interplay between physiological, psychological, and societal influences on speech, emphasizing how bilinguals navigate multiple linguistic systems to convey identity and meaning. Current research trends in her publications focus on urban linguistic variation, perceptual phonetics, and methodological innovations in speech analysis. Elisa is affiliated with Queen Mary’s Experimental Linguistics Research Group and actively contributes to collaborative projects in sociophonetics and bilingualism. She has no listed academic awards but has secured research grants for projects investigating pitch range dynamics in bilingual populations.

Martín ButragueñoView profile

Research Professor

• Variationist sociolinguistics
• Linguistic methodology
• Phonetic variation
• +3 more

Martín Butragueño is a Research Professor at the Center for Linguistic and Literary Studies at El Colegio de México since 1994. His work spans variationist sociolinguistics, phonetic variation, and the interplay between intonation, syntax, and discourse. Education: Bachelor's in Hispanic Linguistics (1987), Complutense University of Madrid PhD in Hispanic Linguistics (1991), Complutense University of Madrid His research focuses on phonetic and morphosyntactical variation in Spanish, intonation patterns, and interdisciplinary interfaces between linguistics and discourse analysis. He has contributed to understanding language evolution in sociolinguistic contexts. Scientific awards and honors: Wigberto Jiménez Moreno Prize (2002) Prominent member of Mexico's National System of Researchers (Level III since 1995) CONACYT-recognized PROMEP academic profile Predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships (CSIC-CONACYT/SUNY/El Colegio de México) Academic affiliations: Full member of the Mexican Academy of Language (since 2016) Chair of the Lexicography Commission at the Mexican Academy of Language Member of a consolidated academic body at El Colegio de México

• Tibeto-Burman Languages
• Language Documentation
• Social Cognition
• +5 more

Dr. Manuel David González Pérez is a Venezuela-born Postdoctoral Research Associate in Linguistics at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Specializing in language documentation and description, he conducts ELDP-funded research on Ngwi languages of Yunnan Province, China, particularly Phola spoken in Wadie Township. His work contributes to preserving linguistic diversity through multimodally enriched documentation. González Pérez's research explores the intersection of language, culture, and cognition: Deictic reference systems in Ngwi languages Social cognition and spatial conceptualization Monolingual fieldwork methodologies Semantic and pragmatic analysis of Phola Cultural beinghood concepts in Phola cosmology His approach triangulates linguistic, gestural, and sociocultural data for comprehensive analysis. Publications focus on methodological innovations in linguistic fieldwork and detailed analyses of Phola language structures. Recent work emphasizes the cognitive dimensions of spatial reference and the importance of linguistic competence in fieldwork. González Pérez teaches courses in phonetics, phonology, cross-cultural communication, and linguistic diversity. He mentors students in language documentation methodologies and is available to supervise research on Ngwi languages and sociolinguistic justice. His ELDP-funded project will produce foundational resources including a grammar and lexicon of Phola, corpora of linguistic materials, demonstrative usage databases, and researcher-speaker interaction records.

Jennifer Lang-RigalView profile

Associate Professor

• Sociolinguistics
• Experimental Phonetics/Phonology
• Prosody and Intonation
• +4 more

Dr. Jennifer Lang-Rigal is an Associate Professor of Spanish at James Madison University (JMU), specializing in Hispanic linguistics with a focus on sociolinguistics, experimental phonetics, and dialectology. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research examines language variation in Argentina, particularly prosody perception, dialect stereotypes, and vowel patterns. She teaches courses on Spanish linguistics, contrastive linguistics, phonetics, and Spanish in the US. Her work integrates perceptual and experimental methods, as seen in studies like 'Prosody perception meets language attitudes' (2020) and 'Regional variation in the devoicing of the alveopalatal fricative' (2015). She advocates for innovative language learning tools, such as the use of videoconferencing with native speakers in her 2019 study. Dr. Lang-Rigal’s research is published in journals like Signo y Seña and Estudios de Fonética Experimental , and she maintains a research website, www.lablinguistica.com . Education: Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin Research Interests: Sociolinguistics, experimental phonetics, prosody, language variation, research methods, dialectology. Her work often explores how linguistic features like vowel lengthening or intonation patterns influence social perceptions of dialects, particularly in Argentina. She combines perceptual studies with acoustic analysis to understand language attitudes and identity. Teaching: Courses include Introduction to Spanish Linguistics , Spanish-English Contrastive Linguistics , and Spanish Phonetics . She emphasizes applied methodologies in language education, such as integrating technology like TalkAbroad for enhancing student confidence in second language speaking (2019). Labs/Teams: Her research website hosts materials from her dissertation on Argentinian dialect perception, reflecting her commitment to accessible scholarly resources.

• Syntax
• Optimality Theory
• Prosody-Syntax Interface
• +7 more

Dr. Rodrigo Gutiérrez-Bravo is a Professor of Linguistics at El Colegio de México, specializing in syntax, optimality-theoretic syntax, and the prosody-syntax interface. His research focuses on Spanish syntax (particularly Mexican Spanish dialects) and Mayan languages, with an emphasis on Yucatec Maya. He explores topics such as contrastive focus marking, relative clauses, verb focus, and language contact phenomena between Spanish and Mayan languages. Education: PhD in Linguistics (2002) from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has authored/co-authored over 30 publications, including books on Yucatec Maya syntax and edited volumes on optimality theory. His work often bridges formal syntactic theory with empirical data from understudied languages. Research areas include: syntax of focus constructions, relative clauses in Mayan languages, word order variation, and the interaction between syntax and prosody. His recent work examines intonation patterns in Yucatecan Spanish and how loanwords from Spanish are phonologically adapted in Yucatec Maya. Publications highlight contributions to understanding Yucatec Maya's syntactic structures, particularly its relative clauses and cleft constructions, as well as theoretical work on prominence scales and unmarked word order in Spanish.

• Experimental Phonetics
• Prosodic Dialectology
• Linguistic Historiography
• +3 more

Miguel Cuevas Alonso is a Spanish philologist, linguist, and university professor at the University of Vigo, where he holds a full-time position in the Department of Spanish Language within the Faculty of Philology and Translation. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Vigo with a thesis on missionary-colonial grammars in the Philippines (17th-18th centuries), supervised by Dr. Joaquín Sueiro Justel. His academic background includes a Licenciatura in Hispanic Philology from the University of Oviedo and a DEA in General Linguistics. His research focuses on experimental phonetics, prosodic dialectology, and historical linguistics, particularly examining intonation patterns in regional Spanish dialects like Asturian and Cantabrian. He has led interdisciplinary projects such as AMPER-Cantabria and contributed to the AMPEC research group. His work explores the interaction between intonation, pragmatics, and sociolinguistic factors. Key professional contributions include: Coordinated international research projects funded by institutions like the Marcelino Botín Foundation and Spain's I+D+i programs. Published extensively in journals like Journal of the International Phonetic Association , Language in Society , and Revue Roumaine de Linguistique . Presented at conferences worldwide, including the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Developed educational initiatives integrating technology in language learning, including ontology modeling for semantic web applications. He serves as a member of the editorial board for Todas as Letras and has supervised research collaborations with institutions like the Borough of Manhattan Community College (NYC) and the CTIC technology center in Asturias.

Katsura AoyamaView profile

Associate Professor

• Language Acquisition
• Psycholinguistics
• Phonetics
• +4 more

Katsura Aoyama is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of North Texas (UNT). She previously served as an Assistant/Associate Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (2002–2012). Her expertise spans language acquisition and psycholinguistics, focusing on phonetic/phonological differences across languages and their impact on first/second language learning. She holds a B.A. in Japanese Philology from Kansai University and M.A./Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Dr. Aoyama’s research examines speech and language development in children and adults across multiple languages, including American English, Finnish, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Mavea, and Guinaang Bontok. Key themes include cross-linguistic phonetic variation, second language acquisition processes, and clinical implications for speech pathology. Her recent work explores acoustic characteristics of speech sounds, phonological development in early childhood, and perceptual aspects of L2 acquisition. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation since 2016, contributing to scholarship initiatives. Her Psycho-Linguistics Lab investigates how language-specific phonological systems influence acquisition patterns, with applications to clinical practice and education.

Anca-Diana BibiriView profile

Researcher

• Sociolinguistics
• Prosody
• Phonetics
• +5 more

Anca-Diana Bibiri is a Scientific Researcher III at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași. She holds a PhD in Philology and a postdoctoral fellowship in linguistics. Her research focuses on sociolinguistic approaches to prosody, computational linguistics, and Romanian dialectology, with a strong emphasis on building digital language corpora like CoRoLa and AMPROM. She has contributed to interdisciplinary projects analyzing migration impacts, multilingual publishing dynamics, and socio-cultural variables in language use. Education: PhD in Philology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași Postdoctoral Fellowship in Linguistics, same university Her work bridges traditional linguistics with digital tools, such as developing speech-to-text systems and entity-annotation frameworks like ERASK. Key areas include Romanian intonation patterns, migration-induced linguistic changes, and lexicographical digitalization challenges. She has led projects like CoBiLiRo (bimodal corpora platform) and collaborated on EU-funded initiatives studying migration effects in Belgium and Romania. Her articles explore intersections of language, culture, and technology, including citizen science engagement and research funding strategies. She maintains active roles in academic networks, often presenting at conferences on interdisciplinary humanities and digital linguistics.

Elyssa FentonView profile

Assistant Professor

• Linguistics
• Spanish Language Studies
• English Language Studies
• +4 more

Elyssa Fenton is an Assistant Professor and Director of Language Instruction for the Spanish Basic Language Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from Florida State University and a B.A. in Spanish from Wittenberg University. Her research focuses on the Phonology and Syntax of English and Spanish, particularly the Syntax-Phonology Interface. She examines how prosody influences speech production and perception across these languages. Her work includes studies on ambiguous relative clauses and Afro-Peruvian Spanish intonation patterns. She teaches courses such as SPA 315 (Intermediate Spanish Composition), SPA 301 (Spanish Language and Cultures), and introductory/intermediate Spanish language courses. No academic awards or grants are explicitly listed in the provided materials. She currently oversees the Spanish Basic Language Program but no specific labs or collaborative teams are mentioned.

Alina ZöllnerView profile

Researcher

• Corpus Linguistics
• Phonetics
• Dialogue Analysis
• +2 more

Alina Zöllner is a researcher at the Institute for German Language and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, affiliated with the Phonetics Chair and based in room 3.404 at Dorotheenstraße 24, Berlin. Her work focuses on corpus development and phonetic analysis of spontaneous dialogue. Her research interests include: Corpus Linguistics Phonetics and Phonetic Variation Dialogue Analysis Annotation of Spoken Language Spontaneous Speech Processing Zöllner co-developed the Berlin Dialogue Corpus (BeDiaCo), analyzing face-to-face and videoconference dialogues through multi-layer annotation. Her publications emphasize diplomatic transliteration, phonetic segmentation, and linguistic phenomena like filler particles and intonation phrases, reflecting expertise in empirical phonetics and corpus methodology. No scientific awards or fellowships are documented in available sources. Student advising and grant information are not specified in the provided materials. She contributes to the 'Seemingly free (morpho)phonetic variation' research project (C06) under the university's Integrated Graduate School, collaborating within the Phonetics Chair's research team.

• Linguistic Anthropology
• Respectability Politics
• Linguistic Bias in Technology and Education
• +5 more

Zion Ariana Mengesha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research centers on linguistic anthropology, examining how language shapes and reflects social and political ideologies. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Stanford University, where she was co-advised by Penny Eckert and Rob Podesva, supported by fellowships from the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Her primary research investigates respectability politics among African American women in Sacramento, analyzing how language practices negotiate social hierarchies and identity. A parallel strand explores linguistic bias in educational systems and AI technologies, including her collaborative work on Google’s Responsible AI User Experience (Responsible AIUX) team to improve inclusivity of voice-AI systems for African American communities. Key contributions include documenting racial disparities in automated speech recognition and advancing methodologies for equitable language technology development. Her work bridges sociolinguistics with critical race theory, emphasizing language as a site of both oppression and resistance. Grants & Collaborations: Google Responsible AIUX team (2020–2024), Stanford fellowships Labs/Teams: Responsible AIUX (Google), UCLA Linguistic Anthropology Lab Publications highlight themes such as vowel variation patterns in African American English, the impact of ASR errors on marginalized groups, and ethical frameworks for AI design. Awards include prestigious fellowships recognizing her interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of language, race, and technology.

Judith TonhauserView profile

Professor

• Natural Language Meaning
• Semantics
• Pragmatics
• +2 more

Prof. Dr. Judith Tonhauser is a full professor in the Department of English Linguistics at the University of Stuttgart, where she also serves as Vice Rector for Early Career Researchers and Diversity. She previously held positions at The Ohio State University and was a fellow at the Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft in Berlin and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Her research focuses on natural language meaning, particularly semantics and pragmatics, investigating how meaning arises from linguistic expressions and how listeners interpret communicative intent. She specializes in: Projective content and presupposition phenomena Cross-linguistic studies of English and Paraguayan Guaraní Social meaning including irony and discourse structure Prosody-meaning interfaces Her publications show consistent focus on experimental approaches to linguistic theory, with recent work emphasizing cross-linguistic comparisons, prosodic interfaces, and computational methodologies. The trajectory demonstrates increasing sophistication in experimental design and theoretical modeling. She has received several prestigious awards including: Linguistic Society of America's Early Career Award (2016) Best Paper in Language Award (2014) Humboldt-Forschungsstipendium (2013) Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship (2013) At Stuttgart, she teaches semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics courses, and advises theses in these areas. She leads research projects involving experimental methodologies and collaborates with international teams investigating language processing and interpretation.

Lorena JessopView profile

Lecturer

• Second language acquisition
• Laboratory phonetics
• Sociolinguistics
• +3 more

Lorena Jessop is a Lecturer in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Queen's University, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Science. She specializes in second language acquisition, laboratory phonetics, and sociolinguistics. Her research focuses on pronunciation pedagogy and linguistic phenomena like 'uptalk' and 'latrinalia'. She has held teaching roles in Japan, the USA, and Canada since 2004, designing courses such as LING 205 (Language and Power). Education includes a Ph.D. (ABD) in Second Language Education from the University of Toronto, an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of California, and prior studies in Anthropological Linguistics and Linguistics at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests span phonetics, sociolinguistics, and language pedagogy. Recent studies include empirical investigations into form-focused instruction methods and quantitative analyses of intonation patterns. Articles highlight contributions to L2 acquisition theory and pronunciation teaching strategies. Teaching responsibilities include Introduction to Linguistics (LING 100), Phonetics (LING 310), and Language Acquisition and Learning (LING 210). No scientific awards are explicitly listed in available records.