general research interest.

  • corpora based quantitative analysis of speaker & speaking variability
  • typoplogy of linguistic voice quality / phonation types and tonal feature composition
  • dialectology, areal typology and (socio)linguistic accomodation
  • ethnography and linguistic anthropology of endangered language communities
  • phonetic lab work (EPG, EGG, ultrasound, aerodynamics, high speed video, laryngoscopy)
  • articulatory and physiological investigation in linguistic phonetic fieldwork (EPG, EGG, ultrasound, aerodynamics)
  • human linguistic & paralinguistic vocal behaviour and phonetics of throat singing, throat games, overtone singing

current projects

  • areal typology of glottalization and pharyngealization in the area of the Caucasus and Transcaucasus (including languages like Kurdish) [joint work with Don Stilo (MPI EVAN Leipzig)]
  • phonetics and tonology of Ket [joint work with Ed Vajda (Western Washington U)]
  • phonetic-phonemic variation in Vilela [joint work with Lucia Gallucio (U Buenos Aires) and Juliette Blevins(MPI EVAN Leipzig)]
  • gemination and sibilants in Bangla (Bengali) [joint work with Arunkumar Ghosh, (Burdwan University)]
  • phonetic description of Gata', Bonda & Santali (Munda languages in CE-India) [joint work with Arunkumar Ghosh, Burdwan University]
  • phonetic structures of Tsez, Beshtl'a, Hinukh, Dargi [joint work with M. Khalilov (AcadSc Makhachkala, Dagestan), Arsen Abdulaev (Dagestan), I. Maddieson (U New Mexico), A. Simpson (U Jena), Diana Forker (U Bamberg)]
  • phonetics (clicks, ejectives, phonation types) of Western !Xóõ [joint work with Christfried Naumann (MPI EVAN Leipzig)]
  • phonetic, prosodic-syntactic and morphophonemic features in NE-Thuringian (Mansfelder Mundart) and N-Saxonian (Ostmeissnisch)[ongoing data collection and description, joint field work Christoph Walter]
  • acoustic-phonetic correlates of rhythmic features [joint work with Ines Bose (U Halle)]

Fieldwork:

  • Tuva 1998, 2000, 2001 (Tyvan)
  • Khakassia 1998, 2000 (Khakas)
  • Tofalaria 2001, 2002 (Tofa)
  • Mongolia 2002 (varieties of Tyvan in Mongolia)
  • Germany 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 (Saxonian and Thuringian varieties of German)
  • India 2006 (Santali, Gata', Bangla)
  • Namibia 2006 (Western !Xóõ)
  • Egypt 2007 (Ghulfan, a language from Sudan)
  • Daghestan 2009 (Tsez, Hinuqh, Lezgi, Kumyk)
  • Argentina 2012 (Vilela)