Workshop: Advancing Research in Phonology via Articulatory Phonology (ARP_AP): July 29-31, 2019 Monterrey, CA

Haskins Laboratories, Inc., New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

This workshop will bring experts and students together to investigate innovations in understanding the structure of words and the basic principles that enable speaking using the theory of Articulatory Phonology. This theory, unlike most linguistic theories, incorporates time as an inherent part of the elements that make up words (consonants and vowels). Theoretical testing has resulted in new and insightful interpretations of phenomena. This project examines accomplishments and theoretical directions, because symbolic treatments of phonology (which have sequencing but not time) are in a state of flux. Many have begun adding elements like those used in Articulatory Phonology, but those implementations miss critical theoretical elements. Further, measures that result in the kinds of data that the theory depends on, such as measurements of tongue movement, have become easier to use and more widely used. The workshop will include theoretical presentations with promising directions discussed. Outcomes will include innovative experimental plans and scientific dissemination, as well as deeper understanding of sounds of speech which could inform technological advances in communication. Understanding the basis of phonology, which allows us to have an unlimited number of words, is important to theoretical linguistics, to the documentation of endangered languages, and to the remediation of speech impairments. Despite the progress modern linguists have made in understanding the sounds of speech, there are still issues that resist analysis. The variable changes that take place as a speaker speaks more quickly are continuous in nature, but symbolic representations struggle to accommodate such results. Vowel and consonant harmony, in which features of one vowel (or consonant) affect the realization of another in the same word, have been incompletely accounted for in previous phonologies, despite the sizable number of languages that exhibit harmony. For endangered languages, preparing material that will be of use to descendants and the larger community who want to revive the language has become increasingly important. Because symbolic descriptions leave out a great deal of detail, they are not ideally suited to this purpose. The theoretical account of Articulatory Phonology, along with the physiological records that would be collected in generating an account, could provide a better platform for revitalization. Many speech disorders are considered "phonological", but the theory that underlies the procedures in speech pathology is not always fully articulated. Reexamination of the basic units, such as comparing phonemes to articulatory gestures, holds promise of further improvement in remediation. This workshop will provide evidence for many of these issues. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.