Project description
Glottalised and non-explosive sounds in Central African languages
Glottalisation and non-explosion – two sound classes found in many languages – remain poorly understood despite their significance for linguistic theory and language evolution. Current research is limited to single-language studies and unable to assess fine-grained phonetic variation and its historical development, making it difficult to distinguish between primordial or emergent phenomena. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NGBU project will conduct the first large-scale cross-linguistic study of these sounds in Central Africa, a linguistic convergence zone where such sounds are widespread. Combining fieldwork, instrumental phonetics, phonological modelling and comparative-historical reconstruction across multiple languages, NGBU aims to establish the origin and evolution of these sounds while documenting severely endangered languages.
Objective
NGBU investigates how non-explosion and glottalisation vary, emerge, and evolve in human speech. These sound classes, which include labial-velar and implosive stops, remain poorly understood, despite their importance for phonetic typology, phonological theory, and models of language evolution. As things stand, not only do accounts diverge on whether these sounds share the same articulatory bases and represent primordial or emergent phenomena, but current research is fragmented, limited to single-language case studies, and unable to integrate phonetic microvariation with diachronic reconstruction.
NGBU addresses this gap through a targeted, interdisciplinary case study in the Ubangi River Basin (Central African Republic), a key linguistic convergence zone where glottalised and non-explosive sounds are uncharacteristically widespread. Combining fieldwork, instrumental phonetics, phonological modelling, and comparative-historical reconstruction, the project will deliver the first large-scale cross-linguistic study of these phenomena in Central Africa. Five Research Objectives structure the action, as I aim to: (RO1) develop a microvariationist phonetic protocol from a multimodal dataset (with acoustic, electroglottographic, aerodynamic, static-palatographic evidence); (RO2) assess multilingual outcomes in Sango; (RO3) test competing feature- vs. gesture-based phonological models; (RO4) reconstruct the diachronic emergence of the target sounds, triangulating linguistic, archaeological, and genetic evidence; and (RO5) synthesise all findings into a unified account of glottalisation and non-explosion.
Through strategic mobility between Ghent and Tokyo, NGBU combines complementary expertise to advance fundamental knowledge of speech origins and variability. Additionally, it provides urgently needed documentation in a region severely affected by language endangerment, and offers pioneering insights into the interconnection of phonetics, phonology, and language history.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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9000 Gent
Belgium
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