I am a phonetician with research interests in prosody (rhythm and intonation) and rhotics. My work often concentrates on the relationship between production, perception and physical constraints, and recent research also addresses the speech of clinical populations. I am also interested in using ultrasound tongue imaging techniques to address questions in phonetics and phonology.  Further research interests include teaching and learning of phonetics.  In particular I am interested in factors that affect transcription accuracy, and am working towards a cognitive model of phonetic transcription.  I have published my research in phonetics and speech therapy journals, and have been successful in attracting funding for my research from the ESRC and other sources.

 

My teaching currently covers phonetics and phonology, and in the past I have taught psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, History of English and introductory aspects of syntax and morphology. I believe that is important for me to be an expert in the field that I am teaching so that students feel confident about my knowldge and the facts the I present. I also believe that students learn best when they are in a supportive environment where they can find their own anwers to problems and discuss their questions and difficulties. For me these two foundations mean that students learn effectively, and enjoy the learning process. My commitment to teaching has been recognised through two teaching prizes from City University, and I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.