Laboratoire de phonétique et phonologie, UMR 7018

CNRS/Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle

April 8 and 9 2019, International Workshop

Embodied Speech

Invited speakers

Alain Berthoz (Collège de France), Peter Birkholz (TU Dresde), Dan Dediu (U. Lyon 2), Guillame Dumas (Institut Pasteur), Bryan Gick (U. British Columbia, Vancouver), Frank Guenther (U. Harvard), John Kingston (U. Amherst), Yves Laprie (Loria, Nancy), Pascal Perrier (GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble), Alice Turk (U. of Edinburgh), Zhaoyan Zhang (UCLA)

While any theory of speech behavior must ultimately incorporate the human body, modeling bodies has not been a central program in language research. Speech models underlying phonetic and phonological theories to date have focused mainly on low-dimensional control with little attention given in recent decades to the neurophysiology and biomechanics of fully embodied speech. This workshop aims at discussing aspects of the emerging field of embodied speech that may contribute to understanding how the high-dimensional body may be mapped onto lower-dimensional models. Topics to be discussed will include high-dimensional imaging and modelling of body structures, biologically informed dimensionality reduction approaches, nonlinear (quantal/saturation) effects in body systems such as biomechanics, sensation, and so on. Particular focus will be given to developing the hypothesis that action (including speech action) may be governed by modular neuromuscular structures that emerge and change through use, and that serve to reduce system dimensionality. We hope to explore a theory of embodied phonetics built on an inventory of such functionally defined modular primitives, and to consider implications of such an approach for diverse areas including speech production and perception, phonetics, phonology, sound change, acquisition and evolution of spoken language. The workshop will focus on these issues with presentations on biomechanical oscillation and simulation, neural control, body rhythms and coordination dynamics at neural and behavioral levels.

The workshop will take place at the Université de Sorbonne, salle Durkheim, 1 rue Victor Cousin 75005 Paris, Galerie Claude Bernard, Escalier I, 1er étage, Salle F658

There will be a limited amount of space available (places will be assigned on a first come, first served basis). Anybody interested to participate or present research results related to the workshop topic is welcome but should contact the organizing committee before the 1^st of March 2019. The final program will be available online the first week of March. Registration is now open at the following address: https://embodiedspeech.ilpga.fr

Organizing committee: Didier Demolin, Léonardo Lancia, Shi Yu