PhD student in acoustic and perceptual phonetics of Basque (L1/L2) M/F

Job Description

Missions

The aim of this position is to contribute to the CNRS-University of Chicago joint PhD program project "Do Language Learners Replicate Historical Change?", a research project that seeks to uncover the connections of sound change to production and perception biases in multilingual communities and language learners.

For this purpose, the candidate is expected to study Basque voiceless sibilants, which are cross-linguistically rare due to their high number and perceptual similarity. The expected study will in-clude the following tasks:
- Devising production and perception experiments;
- Recording L1 and L2 speakers from different Basque regions;
- Annotation and acoustic processing of the recordings;
- Statistical analysis of the data;
- Comparison of different speaker groups.

The candidate will join the IKER (UMR 5478) lab in Bayonne (France) as a researcher in the Do Language Learners Replicate Historical Change? project, financed by the CNRS-University of Chicago Joint Research Program, and led by Ander Egurtzegi (CNRS-IKER) and Melissa Baese-Berk (UChicago). The selected PhD student will work under the joint supervision of Dr. Egurtzegi and Prof. Baese-Berk, and in collaboration with the other PhD student of the project, Joohee Ko (UChicago).

In the proposed project, we will explore synchronic variation in perception and production of Basque fricatives and affricates in a variety of contexts, as a function of a speaker's first language. That is, we will explore perception and production of Basque speakers whose first language is either Basque, French, or Spanish. This selection of speakers is crucial to determine whether multilingualism was a factor in the direction of the changes, given that Northern Peninsular Spanish /s/ is usually apical and sounds like Basque 's', while French /s/ is laminal and more akin to Basque 'z'. Additionally, we will explore perception and production of English first language speakers who are acquiring Basque later in life, given that English /s/ can sometimes be apical and sometimes laminal, thus resembling both Basque 's' and 'z'. We will conduct several speech perception and production studies to understand how current variation may mirror historical changes in Basque fricatives. Planned tasks include repetition and picture naming for production and discrimination and identification tasks for perception to investigate both fine-grained phonetic detail and abstract phonological categories.

The results of this project will help inform theories of language change, which in turn will help us form predictions about language acquisition, both for children and adults. For example, while languages change continuously, language contact and multilingualism have long been thought to shape the direction of linguistic change. This project will allow us to compare synchronic variation with diachronic change over time. Further, biases adult listeners show in perception and speakers demonstrate in production likely also shape how children acquire language, and will allow us to make clear predictions about how acquisition of these sibilants is likely to proceed.

Activity

- Building on the existing literature, establishment of a 'state of the art' on the relevant issues in the topic under study.
- Devising production and perception experiments.
- Recording, segmentation and annotation of acoustic data.
- Comparison and statistical analysis of the relevant data.
- Characterization of the specific phonetic features of Basque sibilants in the different varieties under study.
- Exploration of the hypothesis that historical mergers affecting Basque sibilants are replicated by modern learners, i.e. exploring whether the place oppositions historically lost are likewise affected by biases shown by modern learners of the language from different regions and with different profiles (L1 Basque, French, Spanish, English).
- Presentation of the results of the research at international conferences, publication of articles leading international journals.
- Involvement in the diverse tasks related to the project: organizing potential seminars or conferences, publications, and other potential management-related tasks.

Your Profil

Skills

Required skills:
- MA in linguistics or equivalent (completed by the starting date of the contract).
- Fluency in English.

Highly valued skills:
- Fluency in Basque, French, and/or Spanish.
- Background in the phonetics of Basque.
- Research experience in minority languages and multilingualism.
- Knowledge and experience with fieldwork and/or experimental methodologies and techniques.
- Experience with Praat and R. Experience with other relevant software will also be valued.

Your Work Environment

This PhD is funded by the project "Do Language Learners Replicate Historical Change?", which involves UMR 5478 (IKER), in partnership with the Linguistics Department of the University of Chicago (USA). The candidate will be based at the IKER laboratory (http://www.iker.cnrs.fr/), located in Bayonne (64), which specializes in the study of the Basque language. Nonetheless, all the aspects of the project will be conducted under the joint supervision of both PIs, based at the CNRS and the University of Chicago, and continuous collaboration between the 4 project members is expected. To this end, the project has received additional funding for both teams to visit the other team at their home institution on a yearly basis.

Constraints and risks

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Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2,300 € gross

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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