ethnography and geography of language change,
especially sound change
human linguistic & paralinguistic vocal
behaviour and social hierarchies
linguistic voice quality / phonation types
and non-linguistic throat singing, throat
games, overtone singing
comparative phonetics and vocal
physiology of human primates
current projects
areal typology of glottalization and pharyngealization
in the area of the Caucasus and Transcaucasus
including Iranian languages like Kurmanji
Kurdish) [joint work with Don Stilo (MPI EVAN
Leipzig), Geoffrey Haig (U Bamberg), Anja Geumann (U
Frankfurt) and Cemile Celebi (U Frankfurt) ]
Northeast Caucasian laguages like Tsez,
Beshtl'a, Hinukh, Dargi, Chamalal [joint
work with M. Khalilov, Zaynab Alieva (AcadSc
Makhachkala, Dagestan), Zaira Khalilova (Uni Jena),
Arsen Abdulaev (Dagestan), A. Simpson (U Jena),
Diana Forker (U Bamberg), Rasul Mutalov (RAN
Moscow)]
phonetics and tonology of Ket [joint work with
Ed Vajda (Western Washington U)]
phonetic-phonemic variation in Vilela [joint
work with Lucia Gallucio (U Buenos Aires)]
phonetic description of Gata', Bonda & Santali (Munda
languages in CE-India) [joint work with Arunkumar
Ghosh, Burdwan University]
phonetics (clicks, ejectives, phonation types) of
West !X�on [joint work with Christfried Naumann
(MPI EVA Leipzig/HU Berlin)]
phonetic, prosodic-syntactic and morphophonemic
features in NE-Thuringian (Mansfelder Mundart)
and N-Saxonian (Ostmeissnisch)[w Christoph
Walter]
phonetics of Modern Welsh [joint work with Sabine
Asmus (U Leipzig) and Cormac Anderson (MPI SSH, Jena)]
phonetics of vocalizations in field data of wild
chimpanzees in the Taii forests [joint work with Cathy
Crockford (MPI EVA) and Cormac Anderson (MPI SSH, Jena)]
comparative laryngeal anatomy of great apes [joint
work with Gottfried Hohmann and Alexander Stoessel (MPI
EVA)]
Fieldwork:
Tuva 1998, 2000, 2001 (Tyvan)
Khakassia 1998, 2000 (Khakas)
Tofalaria 2001, 2002 (Tofa)
Mongolia 2002 (varieties of Tyvan in
Mongolia)
Germany 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010
(Saxonian and Thuringian varieties of German)