Georgios P. Georgiou
University of Nicosia Phonetic Lab
Welcome! Feel free to explore our lab website!
If you are interested in becoming an official collaborator, please send us your academic CV together with a motivation letter here.
The Lab
The Phonetic Lab opened in 2023. It comprises a specialized facility with resources and equipment for the study and analysis of speech sounds, their production, and acoustic properties. It is primarily used by researchers such as linguists, phoneticians, and speech-language pathologists to investigate various aspects of human speech and language. The Director of the Lab is Dr Georgios Georgiou, Assistant Professor of Linguistics. The lab is located in the Education Building of the University of Nicosia, room 305a, 3rd floor, and is affiliated with the Department of Languages and Literature.
Within the Phonetic Lab, researchers and experts have access to a wide array of tools and technologies tailored for in-depth investigations. The facility is outfitted with top-quality recording equipment, including high-fidelity microphones and digital recorders, ensuring the precise capture and storage of speech samples. Moreover, it provides a meticulously designed soundproof room that creates an environment conducive to high-quality speech recordings. Sophisticated analysis software are available to facilitate the examination and manipulation of recorded speech data. The lab also provides dedicated experimental setups for conducting research in speech perception, phonemic categorization, and related areas. These setups encompass computer-based experiments, eye-tracking systems, and other specialized equipment, facilitating a deeper understanding of how speech is perceived and processed.
The establishment of the Phonetic Lab at the University of Nicosia brings forth a multitude of benefits:
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Industry Collaboration: We forge partnerships with speech technology companies and language learning platforms, opening doors to joint research projects, internships, and potential employment opportunities. Such collaborations also attract funding from industry sources, fueling innovation and practical applications.
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Multidisciplinary Research: By fostering connections with other university departments and research centers, we stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration. This approach enables us to explore innovative projects that integrate phonetics with psychology, computer science, neuroscience, and more. As a result, our lab’s impact and visibility expands across diverse fields.
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Student Involvement: We are committed to involving undergraduate and graduate students actively in research projects conducted within the Phonetic Lab. Through hands-on experiences in data collection, analysis, and publication preparation, students gain valuable research skills and foster a passion for academic pursuits.
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Community Outreach: Our lab organizes workshops, seminars, and public lectures to engage the local community, schools, and language professionals. By hosting public demonstrations of our equipment and techniques, we promote a broader understanding and appreciation of phonetics research among the general public.
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International Collaboration: Seeking collaborations with esteemed phonetics labs and scholars from international universities, we foster global partnerships. Joint research projects, faculty exchanges, and hosting international conferences enhance the lab's reputation, facilitate knowledge exchange, and attract talented researchers and students worldwide.
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Open Data and Resources: Embracing an open approach, we share anonymized speech data, analysis tools, and software developed within the lab with the wider academic community. This encourages collaboration, maximizes the impact of our work, and promotes reproducibility and transparency in research.
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Alumni Engagement: Nurturing a strong bond with our former students who have conducted research in the lab, we establish an alumni network and organize events to share their experiences, success stories, and career paths. This engagement enhances the lab's reputation and contributes to our fundraising efforts.
Research
The lab's researchers are currently working on a variety of research projects examining speech perception and speech production in the first and the second language. This is an indicative list of projects:
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L2 speech perception and the role of phonological short-term memory and nonverbal intelligence (PI: Dr Georgios Georgiou; Researchers: Dr Aretousa Giannakou, Dr Katarzyna Alexander)
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Perception of Dutch vowels by Greek speakers (PI: Dr Georgios Georgiou; Researcher: Ms Dimitra Dimitriou)
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Perception of Catalan vowels by Greek speakers (PI: Dr Georgios Georgiou; Researcher: Dr Edgar Bernad)
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Attention control and discrimination of Greek consonants by Mandarin Chinese speakers (PI: Dr Georgios Georgiou; Researcher: Ms Wenjun Zhang)
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Acoustic features of speech sounds recorded using different recording devices (PI: Dr Georgios Georgiou)
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Machine learning algorithms and L2 speech perception (PI: Dr Georgios Georgiou)
If you do have your own ideas for research projects and are interested in colloborating with us, please contact us!
Publications
This is an indicative list of the lab's publications:
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Georgiou, G. P. (2023). Speakers of different L1 dialects with acoustically proximal vowel systems present with similar nonnative speech perception abilities: Data from Greek listeners of Dutch. Speech Communication, 150, 32-40.
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Georgiou, G. P. (2023). Nonverbal Intelligence Does Matter for the Perception of Second Language Sounds. Psych, 5(1), 123-132.
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Georgiou, G. P. (2022). The acquisition of /ɪ/–/iː/ is challenging: Perceptual and production evidence from Cypriot Greek speakers of English. Behavioral Sciences, 12(12), 469.
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Georgiou, G. P. (2022). Acoustic markers of vowels produced with different types of face masks. Applied Acoustics, 191, 108691.
Partners
The Phonetic lab is currently collaborating with a wide net of individual researchers, and has signed memorandums of collaboration with several international academic societies, organizations, and labs. The full list will be updated soon.
Contact
📞+357 22842349
🏠 Room 305a, Education Building, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus