Projects
A comparative study of alternating presentational constructions in Dutch, English and Italian. Ghent University
This project investigates the functional range of and the alternation between four types of presentational constructions (prosodic inversion, syntactic inversion, syntactic inversion with filler insertion and syntactic split) in Dutch, English and Italian. The constructions are studied both from a language-specific and a contrastive perspective, using magnitude estimation tasks administered online through a crowdsourcing platform.
Phonobet - A new phonetic alphabet Can a new visual typographical system, representing the pronunciation of several languages, build a bridge in understanding language related phonemes and thus assists in reading aloud with the correct pronunciation? Hasselt University
Acoustic and perceptual effects of intonation training in transgender women Ghent University
The first purpose is to investigate the relation between acoustic intonation parameters and gender perception. Secondly, short- and longer-term effects of intonation training on vocal characteristics, listener perceptions and PROMS in trans women will be investigated using a randomized sham-controlled trial. This research will lead to new insights in speech feminization and will have a major impact on evidence-based practice.
Discourse markers in Italian L2 and heritage language Ghent University
The project analyses discourse markers in Italian, by comparing the acquisition of discourse markers by Belgian-Dutch speakers who study Italian as second language with that by Belgian- Dutch speakers who have learnt Italian as their heritage language. The project produces an analysis of the linguistic and sociolinguistic factors involved.
The interface between information structure, syntax and Ghent University
The proposed PhD Project aims at studying Information Structure (IS) of Kikongo. Such study is unprecedented for a western Bantu language. The research is both descriptive and comparative, since IS of different Kikongo languages will be compared. Moreover, a historical dimension will be added through the integration of the oldest remaining written Bantu sources (17th century), which are in Kikongo.