Research summary
Across the ages, people have often wondered: Why do we speak so many different languages? And why and how do these languages change over time? As Canada Research Chair in Speech Variability, Dr. Morgan Sonderegger is trying to answer questions like these.
He and his research team are examining how the sounds of language vary across time and space. They are building large-scale, open-access datasets and computational tools to compare sound changes within and between languages and to test longstanding hypotheses about the roles of individual variation and physiology in explaining language change. Sonderegger has already produced innovative insights and software that have led to practical applications, such as speech technology, the study of endangered languages, and treatments for communication disorders. Now, he and his team are creating datasets to map speech variability across languages and speakers, and will ultimately produce crucial data for interpreting fundamental aspects of human communication.