Dr. Ratree Wayland is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Florida, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on cross-language speech perception/production, lexical tone processing, Southeast Asian languages, speech biomarkers, and natural language processing. She teaches courses such as LIN 3201 (Sounds of Human Language), LIN 4205 (Fundamental Phonetics), and LIN 6208 (Phonetics for Linguists). Dr. Wayland is the author of the textbook Phonetics: A Practical Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 2019), which provides comprehensive coverage of articulatory, acoustic, and perceptual aspects of speech. Her work integrates empirical methods with computational tools to explore speech production, perception, and their applications in clinical and linguistic research. Her research interests include sociophonetic variation, tone sandhi phenomena in languages such as Lahu Nyi and Mandarin, and the use of speech as biomarkers for neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease. She employs advanced methodologies including electromagnetic articulography and neural network analysis to quantify phonetic features. Dr. Wayland's contributions span theoretical linguistics, applied phonetics, and interdisciplinary studies linking speech to biomedical applications. Notable projects include studying perceptual asymmetries in lexical tone perception among tonal and non-tonal language speakers, analyzing lenition in L2 Spanish and Parkinson's patients, and developing pseudo-palate technologies for speech analysis. Her publications frequently address cross-linguistic speech patterns, acoustic correlates of speech disorders, and the role of musical training in tone perception.











