Research supervisor
Antonis Botinis

Research associates
Anthi Chaida
Marios Fourakis
Elina Nirgianaki
Olga Nikolaenkova
Charalambos Themistocleous

Research areas
Our research orientation is associated with phonetics, in the broad context of experimental linguistics. Within the field of phonetics, we carry parallel research at several linguistic levels, in the first place segments, sentences, text. Within the field of experimental linguistics, our research is related to the interactions between different factors in linguistic analysis, such as lexicon, syntax and prosody. In practice, the ultimate target of our research is the production of linguistic knowledge in a unified experimental context with reference to several linguistic approaches, in the first place in the frameworks of theoretical linguistics and experimental phonetics.

Research projects

Research programme “KAPODISTRIAS” 2006-2007
Production and perception of the Greek sentence

This project has a theoretical reference on the factors, which determine the multifunctionality of distinctive categories and structures of language on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the relation of signal and meaning in sentence production and perception. The Greek sentence is characterised by multiple variability, which e.g. includes both prosody - sentences with the same lexicon and syntax may have different functions, such as statement and question - and syntax - the order of basic syntactic elements, such as subject, verb and object, may have variable positions. Our basic assumption is that the variability of sentence may have a decisive effect on its meaning. The production and perception of the sentence, which is however a unified structure, is subjected to the variability of different factors as well as the interactions among them. Our research concerns thus the effect of each factor, such as prosody or syntax, on the form and meaning of sentence, as well as the effect of one factor on other factors and hence the interactions among different factors in sentence production and perception.

Research programme “KAPODISTRIAS” 2008-2009
Prosodic structure of the Greek sentence

The project involves a multi-disciplinary research, based on experimental phonetics, which combines theoretical and methodological approaches within a common experimental framework (as a follow-up of the previous project “Production and perception of the Greek sentence”). A multi-functional analysis is conducted concerning prosodic structure, as well as sentence morphology and semantics in various contexts.
The primary aim of this project is to determine the basic prosodic characteristics (emphasazing on intonation and tempo) of Greek language, focusing on the main sentence types (statement, question, command). In particular, the acoustic characteristics and the perceptual effects of prosodic realizations are examined.

Research programme “KAPODISTRIAS” 2008-2009
Prosody and Discourse Structure of Modern Greek

This project combines approaches from text-linguistics, lexical analysis and prosody, aiming at the analysis of oral discourse corpora. Within the project’s scope, lexical and prosodic marking of discourse structural organisation are examined. Special attention is given on the combinational functions that discourse markers and tonal structures accomplish, such as rising or falling intonation marking turn succession, as well as on the demarcation of phrases and text coherence.
The aim of this project is, on one hand, the theoretical access of discourse functions on lexical and prosodic level, and, on the other hand, applications concerning teaching first and second language, as well as the development of automatic dialogue systems through the modelisation of discourse structures and functions.

Greek Phonetics and Applications

The research project “Greek Phonetics and Applications” refers to the long-standing planning by the Laboratory of Phonetics and Computational Linguistics of the University of Athens. Within the framework of this project, our phonetics research team collaborates with linguistics researchers, as well as with Greek and international researchers of other disciplines.
The endmost aim of this project is the promotion of basic research and of phonetic applications in modern education. This research refers, in the first place, to analysis, classification and register of the basic phonetic characteristics of Greek, as well of the structure and function of phonetics on lexical, sentence and text level.
The corresponding applications refer to the development of educational material concerning phonetic research and learning and teaching Greek.
The results of this research will be presented at conferences and in publications in regular basis, while the educational material is estimated to be in the disposition of the educational community from 2011, and it will be increasing the following years. Our motive power basically relies on students and doctoral candidates, as well as young scientists of phonetics at the University of Athens.