Discussion of some papers by Molly Babel in preparation for her Jan. 29 colloquium

Pitch Accents in Malagasy Imperatives: Marking Syntax or Something Else?

Do individualdifferences in working memory capacity predict individual differences in speechplanning? Three prosodic tests

Abstract: Humans are excellent learners. Yet, a notable and well-documented exception is the acquisition of non-native speech categories by adults. Speech category learning is supported by multiple systems and, as we learn more about these systems, it is becoming possible to improve perceptual behavior in adult learners. In this talk, which reflects on my postdoctoral...

Abstract: The so-called "fricative" and "apical" vowels, which occur throughout the Chinese languages, are known to have constriction locations more anterior than those of high front vowels, and are canonically produced with some fricative noise. However, recent descriptions have disagreed on how much fricative noise is actually involved in the production of these vowels, with...