Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Apr 12

We had a brilliant time at Lancaster University's public engagement festival, Campus in the City, yesterday! We engaged with 260 people in Morecambe with ultrasound, nasalance, accent quizzes, gender and language, and a grammar escape room! @lancslinguistics.bsky.social @phoneticslab.bsky.social

A group of 10 colleagues in a room. Most of us are wearing red Lancaster Phonetics Lab t-shirts. I am holding an ultrasound probe and Sam Kirkham is holding a nasalance device.

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Joey Stanley @joeystanley.com · Mar 12

I wrote a quick tutorial for a student on how to use to R to get Whisper to automatically transcribe your audio. I figured others might find it useful too. #linguistics joeystanley.com/blog/whisper/

Automated Transcription in R using Whisper – Joey Stanley

joeystanley.com

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Mar 13

UKLVC15 deadline extended!
Submit your abstracts by 28th March. Join us in Lancaster 2nd-4th September 2025 for sociolinguistic research on any language. Hosted by @lancslinguistics.bsky.social and University of Central Lancashire. More information and keynote presenters: wp.lancs.ac.uk/uklvc15/

A pair of swans are swimming along the canal. They have eight grey cygnets who are strung out in a line. The background shows a green field with trees at the edge. There are some sheep in the field.

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Andy Williams @llantwit.bsky.social · Feb 21

Two Weeks In The Death Spiral Of Cardiff University, by an anonymous academic.
This is truly shocking read.
The Cardiff executive board should hang their heads in shame.
voice.cymru/two-weeks-in...

Two Weeks In The Death Spiral Of Cardiff University -

Reading Time: 4 minutesBy an anonymous academic. Cover image by Adwitiya Pal On the second day of classes…

voice.cymru

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Justin Lo @justinjhlo.bsky.social · Feb 21

New open access paper in Speech Communication on “nasal coarticulation in Lombard speech”: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I argue that, in Lombard speech, coarticulatory vowel nasality falls amid a compressed range of nasalisation, but coarticulation is maintained

@phoneticslab.bsky.social

Nasal coarticulation in Lombard speech

Speaking in noisy environments entails a multitude of adaptations to speech production. Such modifications are expected to reduce gestural overlap bet…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Feb 21

It was my great privilege to give a talk yesterday at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, hosted by the Language Documentation Centre, Department of General and Indo-European Linguistics.
@lancslinguistics.bsky.social
@phoneticslab.bsky.social

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Sam Kirkham @samkirkham.bsky.social · Feb 3

Scaling laws for nonlinear dynamical models of articulatory control

➡️ My new article out today in JASA Express Letters, in which I present some new advances on nonlinear task dynamic models of articulatory speech movements.

🔗 doi.org/10.1121/10.0...

@asa-news.bsky.social

Scaling laws for nonlinear dynamical models of articulatory control

Dynamical theories of speech use computational models of articulatory control to generate quantitative predictions and advance understanding of speech dynamics.

doi.org

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Flint Dibble @flintdibble.bsky.social · Jan 29

The DESTRUCTION OF THE HUMANITIES at Cardiff University

Management seems to think that Humanities scholars don't know how to read statistics

Diving into their proposals shows how they are trying to hide the true extent of damage to Humanities disciplines here
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photo of Benjamin Disraeli with his quote "Therea re three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Jan 30

The call for papers for UKLVC15 is open! Deadline: 21st March. Join us in Lancaster 2nd-4th September 2025 for sociolinguistic research on any language. Hosted by @lancslinguistics.bsky.social and University of Central Lancashire. More information and keynote presenters: wp.lancs.ac.uk/uklvc15/

A view of the River Lune in Lancaster on a very still day in winter. The blue sky is reflected in the river water. There is an architecturally unusual footbridge over the river called the Millennium Bridge. It has two vertical posts with suspension wires attached. Some houses and buildings are visible in the background.

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Reposted by Claire Nance

International Association of Multilingualism (IAM) @iaml3.bsky.social · Jan 27

UPCOMING DEADLINE - CfP ➡️ Trondheim Young Researchers Symposium on Multilingualism (TYRSM) (May 26-27, 2025, in Trondheim, Norway)

See the full CfP: iam.wildapricot.org/TYRSM-2025

✅Deadline for abstract submission: January 31, 2025.

Feel free to share and spread the word.

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · Jan 24

JOB ALERT! Come work with me!
34-Month Postdoc Position here at the Center for Language Evolution Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in my project "Paths to Polysemy"
Job offer here: www.umk.pl/en/jobs/?tas...
Please repost & share widely!

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Jan 24

Congratulations on getting this funding! 🎉

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Susanne Mohr @susannemohr7.bsky.social · Jan 22

What a lovely and moving account of how #Irish is not confined to rural & Gaeltacht areas, and how it matters in an urban space like Dublin. #langsky #minoritizedlanguages

Endangered Languages Project @e-l-p.bsky.social · Jan 22

“Speaking Irish in Dublin brings meaning and purpose to my life.”

In a new essay for the Smithsonian’s Folklife Magazine, join ELP Mentor Alexandra Philbin on a train ride into Dublin, as she reflects on history, family, and the revival of the Irish language.

Taking the Train to Dublin City: A Journey to Speaking Irish in Ireland’s Capital

For many, the Irish language was attached to experiences of poverty, suffering, and violence.

folklife.si.edu

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Jan 22

Wow congratulations! 🎉

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Jan 17

Oooh good suggestion!

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Jan 17

We are delighted to welcome Dr Anton Malmi, who has started a 3-year postdoc in @phoneticslab.bsky.social @lancslinguistics.bsky.social funded by the Estonian Research Council! Anton will be investigating the acquisition of palatalisation in Estonian children using ultrasound tongue imaging.

A man is standing on a green grassy mountainside. He is wearing a beige t-shirt, sunglasses, and a rucksack. The sky is blue and the grass is very green.

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Dec 19

We present an approach to collecting articulatory and acoustic data in public spaces combined with public engagement.
We also assess noisiness of acoustic data. Acoustic data collected at a market stall are noisier than lab data. But 96% of our market data were adequate for acoustic analysis.

A graph comparing signal to noise ratio results from data collected in fiver different locations: UCL recording room, UCL sound booth, Lancaster sound booth, Blackburn Market, and Burnley Market. The average values for the market locations are lower than the university settings.

Two people in blue t-shirts are at opposite ends of a table recording ultrasound with two members of the public.

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Dec 19

New paper out with colleagues from @phoneticslab.bsky.social
'Articulatory phonetics in the market: combining public engagement with ultrasound data collection'
doi.org/10.1515/ling...
@samkirkham.bsky.social @takayukinagamine.bsky.social @pamelaforster.bsky.social
@justinjhlo.bsky.social

Articulatory phonetics in the market: combining public engagement with ultrasound data collection

This paper is a methodological contribution outlining an approach we have developed to recording ultrasound tongue imaging and audio research data as part of public engagement work. The paper is based...

doi.org

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Endangered Languages Project @e-l-p.bsky.social · Dec 16

New speakers - people learning and reclaiming a language - are key to any language revitalization movement. 🌱

Understanding what motivates people to reclaim and learn their languages is an important part of revitalization work. A new book explores these issues in Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic):

Wilson McLeod @wilsonmcleod.bsky.social · Dec 16

Diofaran eadar beachdan agus tuigsean an luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig ann an Alba Nuadh agus an t-Seann Dùthaich - aithris inntinneach air leabhar ùr le @[email protected]
www.bbc.co.uk/naidheachdan...

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Morgan Sonderegger @msonderegger.bsky.social · Dec 12

Linguists! We're hiring an Assistant Professor (tenure track) in phonology (secondary specializations welcome) at McGill linguistics, deadline January 13. Come work with us!

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...

Assistant Professor

Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply. If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at ...

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Dec 12

Congratulations to @lancslinguistics.bsky.social @phoneticslab.bsky.social student Emily Gorman who passed her viva today!

Sam Kirkham @samkirkham.bsky.social · Dec 12

Very proud of my PhD student Emily Gorman for passing her viva today - she wrote a great thesis on “Spatial and temporal variation in speech planning”.

Many thanks to the examiners Marianne Pouplier and Danielle Turton for an interesting and rigorous examination.

Congratulations Emily!

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Dec 11

We've been hosting Simona Montanari, California State University, @phoneticslab.bsky.social @lancslinguistics.bsky.social for the past couple of days. Great to hear about Simona's research on Spanish-English bilingual pre-schoolers and celebrate at our lab Christmas party!

A selfie of 11 people around a table at our Christmas dinner. Claire is taking the picture and is in the foreground. Background shows Simona and members of Lancaster Phonetics Lab.

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Reposted by Claire Nance

Adam Schembri (ˈʃɛmbɹi/ˈʃkɛmbri) @adamcschembri.bsky.social · Dec 10

Come and work with us in the Department of Linguistics and Communication at the University of Birmingham!

Bissie Anderson 🇺🇦🌻 @bissieanderson.bsky.social · Dec 10

Come join our ace team at @lcuob.bsky.social

We are hiring two Assistant Professors in Digital Media and Communications:

⏩ Language and New Media specialism:
edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

⏩ Intercultural Communication specialism:
edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Dec 9

Great news Ben! Congratulations!! 🎉

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Claire Nance @clrnance.bsky.social · Dec 9

In theory, yes. But I would be cautious about using these measures for contrasts relying on the tongue tip. You would need to be very confident of capturing a good tongue tip ultrasound image, which can be tricky. I can recommend this paper for more info: doi.org/10.1044/2023...

Tongue Shape Complexity in Children With and Without Speech Sound Disorders

Purpose: This study investigates the hypothesis that younger speakers and speakers with more severe speech sound disorders are more likely to use...

doi.org

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