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Five Year PhD Program
Specialization in Phonology & Phonetics

Recently there has been growing recognition of the extent to which the phonetic grounding of phonological patterns enriches our understanding of phonological systems. These issues have moved into the forefront of research, raising anew questions about the nature of the phonology/phonetics interface. For this reason it is now impracticable to work in cutting edge phonological theory without a solid background in phonetics. The course of study outlined below is designed to meet this goal by providing students of phonology and phonetics with the tools necessary to integrate phonetic knowledge and techniques into their research. The program combines the resources of the linguistics department (including the study of speech perception in the auditory cortex using MEG) with MIT's internationally renowned speech lab, allowing for a unique synthesis of phonology, psycholinguistics and engineering.

Faculty

Professor Adam Albright, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Professor Edward Flemming, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Professor Michael Kenstowicz, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Dr. Joseph Perkell, RLE Speech Communication Group

Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel, RLE Speech Communication Group

Professor Donca Steriade, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Professor Kenneth Stevens, RLE Speech Communication Group

Professor Morris Halle (emeritus), Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Professor James Harris (emeritus), Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Professor Jay Keyser (emeritus), Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy

Curriculum

Students enrolled in this program fulfill all the normal requirements of the Linguistics Program. In addition they take four extra courses and write another research paper. Students in the program also attend weekly research group meetings after completing the first two years of the curriculum.

Required Courses

• 24.963, Linguistic phonetics
  Flemming
  The study of speech sounds: How we produce them, how we perceive them, their acoustic properties. The influence of the production and perception systems on phonological patterns and sound change. Acoustic analysis and experimental techniques.
• 6.542J/ 24.966J, Lab class
  Stevens, Shattuck Hufnagel, Perkell
• 24.941, Lexicon and its features
  cross-listed with BCS (9.587) and EECS (6.543)
  STAFF; 1 term; 2nd or 3rd year
  Overview of features that distinguish sound categories in languages of the world. Theories that relate these categories to their acoustic and articulatory correlates, both universally and in particular languages. Models of word recognition by listeners. The course offers a variety of perspectives on these issues, drawn from electrical engineering and computer science, linguistics and cognitive science.
• 24.964, Topics in phonology: advanced seminar, topics change.
  STAFF
• 24.967, Experimental phonology
  Albright, Flemming
  This course examines the use of experimental techniques to test predictions drawn from current phonological theory. Includes a survey of experimental methodologies currently in use, an introduction to experimental design and analysis, and critical consideration of how experimental results are used to inform theory.

Additional courses

Select from:

• 24.981, Topics in Computational Phonology
  Albright
  Exploration of issues in the computational modeling of phonology: finding generalizations in data, formalisms for representing phonological knowledge, modeling grammar acquisition, and testing phonological theories by means of implemented models. The course provides hands-on experience using and developing models, including preparing training data, running simulations, and interpreting their results. No background in programming or machine learning is assumed.
• 24.965, Morphology
  Albright, Steriade
• Interface Seminars: e.g. Intonation; Psycholinguistic experimentation and cognitive models; Speech production
• Advanced phonetics
• 6.541J/ 24.968J, Speech communication
  Stevens
• 24.945, Language processing
  Gibson

Paper Requirement

In addition to the two generals papers already required, students write another research paper during their third year based on original laboratory research.

Phonology Circle

All students in the program who have completed their first two years toward the Ph.D. in Linguistics are expected to attend and to participate actively in the Phonology Circle, a weekly meeting where they present work in progress, read and discuss current literature, and interact with guest speakers.