PhD studentship

Mandarin, the official Chinese language, has the greatest population of speakers in the world. With China rising to the second biggest economy and most powerful global power, the demand for learning Chinese has significantly grown in recent years. Different from English, Mandarin has five lexical tones, high level (mā, “mother”), rising (má, “hemp”), dipping (mǎ, “horse”), falling (mà, “scold”) and neutral tones (ma) (Li and Thompson 1977).

Liberman and his colleagues (Liberman, Cooper, Shankweiler and Studder-Kennedy 1967; Liberman and Mattingly, 1985; Liberman and Mattingly, 1989; Liberman & Whalen, 2000; Galantucci, Fowler & Turvey, 2006) have been developing the motor theory of speech perception since the 1980s. It concludes that one way of improving speech perception is by identifying the vocal tract gestures with which they are pronounced, rather than by identifying the sound patterns that speech generates. However few studies have been undertaken on lexical tone perception under the motor theory of speech perception.

In this project, we will apply 3D animation into simulating the lip movement during Mandarin lexical tone production. Then we will compare the different effects of 3D animation and real lip-reading on lexical tone perception. The following main research questions will be addressed:

1) What is the best way to describe and animate Chinese speakers’ lip and relevant muscles movement during pronouncing different lexical tones?

2) Which indices of lip and muscle movement will facilitate English speakers to perceive and produce the Mandarin lexical tones?

3) What is the optimal lip encoding system to describe Mandarin lexical tones at syllables and a relative short sentence level?

Both 3D animation and psychology experiment techniques will be employed to test hypothesises. We will produce quantitative data of lip movement and encode the movement with key features. It also demonstrates whether a specific designed programme could facilitate any effective learning outcome.

A highly-motivated, enthusiastic student is sought to fill this position. We seek candidates with strong written and oral presentation skills and a good grasp of computer graphics, computer modelling, programming (e.g. C++, Java), and/or cross-culture communication methods. A practical skill and knowledge about statistical tools, e.g. SPSS, SAS or Matlab, is required. Prior experience and knowledge of Mandarin would also be desirable though not required.

Eligibility Criteria Candidates for this fully-funded PhD studentship must demonstrate outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years. All candidates must satisfy the University’s minimum doctoral entry criteria for studentships of an honours degree at Upper Second Class (2.1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree. An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project.

Informal enquiries about the project should be directed to Dr Biao Zeng: bzeng@bournemouth.ac.uk  Tel: 0044-1202 965529.

For details on how to apply please visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/phd2013

Closing Date The first call for applications will close on 17^th June 2013.