Aarhus University

The Centre of Voice Studies at Aarhus University

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July 2022 saw the approval of a new research unit at Aarhus University – the Centre of Voice Studies. Why a centre of voice studies? Why now? And who’s behind it?

First, some note on the voice. The vast majority of human beings communicate with the use of sounds coming out of their bodies. Sounds produced by the vocal tract are particularly relevant. But sounds are far from limited to human communication. Vocal variation is everywhere around us, whether we communicate with human or non-human animals.

There is no doubt that the voice provides interlocutors with a plethora of meaningful information. This information is linked to our bodies as well as our cultures. Just from a single word, the hearer … ↪

On Friday the 10/02, Noam Chomsky will give a lecture at ViGør in Aarhus

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On Friday the 10/02, Noam Chomsky will give a lecture at ViGør at Aarhus University. This is a wild announcement, not only because he will be doing it from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean via Zoom at the ripe old age of 94, but also because this means it will be possible to hear the arguably most famous and debated linguist in the world talk about his theories live in the Nobel Auditorium at the University of Aarhus.

Even if you’ve only dipped your toe in the world of linguistics, it’s almost impossible to not have heard of Noam Chomsky. He received a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955 and has since published numerous groundbreaking theories. … ↪

Learning about language by creating a language – a fun and creative approach to teaching linguistics

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If you are reading this blogpost, you probably know what linguistics is. However, most people don’t know what to make of the term or have only a vague idea – it’s something about grammar, maybe? Those unknowing people would probably never choose a course titled ‘Introduction to Linguistics’ as an elective, as it sounds either too dry or too daunting. But what if introductory linguistics courses were taught under another cover – that of creating your own language?

Using language invention in the classroom has been increasing in popularity, and courses on language invention have been successful around the world. The book Language Invention in Linguistics Pedagogy explores this new field. It is edited by Jeffrey Punske, Nathan Sanders and … ↪

Silencing the Vikings: Bureaucracy and The End of Old Norse at Aarhus University

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“Not perverts but bureaucrats will set things off, and we won’t even know if their intentions were good or bad. Things will go off by command; they will be carried through according to regulations, mechanically, down the chain of command, with human wills bent, abolished, overcome, in a task that ceases to have any meaning”.[1]

– Jacques Lacan

Old Norse is the language of the Vikings. It is the language carved laboriously into runestones all over Scandinavia, indeed even as far afield as Ukraine. It is the language of the Icelandic sagas of the High Middle Ages, and the language which preserves most of our knowledge of Scandinavian mythology: Gods such as Óðinn and Þórr, the vengeful Fenrisúlfr … ↪

Conlang-week in Aarhus

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Increasing numbers of films and television series incorporate fictional languages to create authentic fantasy settings. But who makes these languages? Meet two language creators and hear about their work. There will be a workshop and two talks at Aarhus University. The events are free, and everyone is welcome, students and non-students alike!

Wednesday 14th september, 4-6 pm, 1441-112:

SOLIA-workshop with David J. Peterson and Jessie Sams: “From beginning to translation – a historical approach”

Thursday 15th september, 4-8 pm, 1482-105 (Nobel auditorium):

Talk by David J. Peterson & Jessie Sams

Friday 16th september, ViGør, 2-4 pm, 1481-264:

Talk by David J. Peterson & Jessie Sams

 

Read more about David J. Peterson (in Danish)

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Phon-phon for phun

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You may have heard about an entity that exists at Aarhus University, titled Phon-phon for phun. What is it? Why is it? Should you care about it? Let me explain.

Phon-phon for phun stands for “Phonetics and phonology for fun” and is the unofficial but very commonly used name of one of the official research groups of interest to those who are associated with the programme of Language, Linguistics, Communication, and Cognition. The research group was initiated in spring 2017 and officially established as a research group in autumn 2017. We’ve got our own website, which you are very welcome to explore: https://soundsoflanguageandspeech.wordpress.com/

What is it we do, exactly? Well, we do all sorts of things because we’re interested … ↪