Admission requirements
Students are expected to have background in phonetics and phonology. Recommended is to have completed the following method courses (or courses of a similar nature): Analysis and Synthesis of Speech, Experimental Methods, Statistics.
Description
This course examines the mental representation of spoken language and the cognitive processes involved in speech production and comprehension. Students will explore how the physical realizations of speech (in terms of acoustic patterns) map onto mental representations, and how these mappings shape both the planning and comprehension of spoken utterances. Through critical reading of research articles and hands-on engagement with experimental data, students will develop a deeper understanding of how speech connects to broader questions in language cognition.
This year’s focus will be on prosodic variation, exploring how patterns of speech melody reflect different levels of linguistic structure and the underlying mechanisms of speech planning, production, and perception. Students will conduct collaborative projects and engage in literature review, experimental design, and data analysis. Each student writes a research report of their own, including group experiment findings and individual reflections, as a final assignment.
Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Explain core concepts and debates related to speech production/perception, phonological structure, and their cognitive foundations.
Critically evaluate empirical studies in experimental phonetics and psycholinguistics, including methodologies and interpretations.
Synthesize academic literature to formulate research questions and utilize experimental methods.
Carry out collaborative projects to address a question of scientific interest.
Present research findings, engage in peer discussion and feedback, and communicate research findings in a written report
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar in English, which includes lectures, student presentations, and hands-on projects
Assessment method
Assessment
1 Literature review (20%):
a. Group reading presentation (15%)
b. Individual homework on follow-up research question (5%)
2 Group poster presentation (15%)
3 Final report (65%):
a. Method (10%) + result (10%)
b. Introduction (10%) + discussion (15%) + follow-up plan (20%)
Assessment
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
The final assignment can be arranged for resit.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
See the reading list distributed in class.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats
Remarks
None.