LAB DIRECTOR

ARGYRO KATSIKA

I am fascinated by speech; it is so natural that it feels simple, yet it involves a complex system of body organ movement and coordination, which is, in turn, shaped by a complex, multi-level linguistic structure/grammar. I am intrigued by how this shaping works. The main focus of my research is on the interaction between prosodic structure and the kinematic profile of speech. Prosodic structure is the component of the grammar that organizes speech into cognitive units (e.g., syllables into words and words into phrases), and marks prominent elements in these units (e.g., stressed syllables in words and accented words in phrases). What is the nature and architecture of prosodic structure? What aspects of prosodic structure remain constant across languages from different groups of the prosodic typology? How is prosodic structure related to discourse and talker-to-talker (verbal and no verbal) interactions? How is prosodic structure expressed in speech disorders that are attributed to difficulties in articulatory coordination? My research addresses these (and other) questions, using experimental studies that examine the movement and coordination of the speech organs and their acoustic and visual products across languages and populations. I believe that, in this way, a direct window could be opened onto speech production, language processing, cognition and social interaction.