Incremental Sound Change in Oslo (ISC-Oslo)

Project Information

ISC-Oslo

Grant agreement ID: 892963

DOI

10.3030/892963

Project closed

EC signature date 20 April 2020

Start date 15 August 2021

End date 11 December 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 202 158,72

EU contribution

€ 202 158,72

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITETET I OSLO
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ISC-Oslo (Incremental Sound Change in Oslo (ISC-Oslo))

Reporting period: 2021-08-15 to 2023-08-14

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In the diversifying urban landscapes of Scandinavia, the project Incremental Sound Change in Oslo (ISC-Oslo), funded under project number 892963, has delved into the rich tapestry of language to uncover the socioeconomic underpinnings of phonetic evolution. The ISC-Oslo project embarked on a scholarly journey to explore the origins of five phonetic changes observed in early 2000s linguistic corpora, employing an innovative angle through the application of Labov's sociolinguistic theories.

At the core of this study lies a question of universal relevance: how does the way we speak change in the hustle and bustle of city life, where cultures and social ranks mix and merge? The shifts in pronunciation and speech patterns are like echoes of the broader social changes around us. ISC-Oslo aimed to trace these echoes back to their sources, illuminating the role of societal forces such as migration and economic status in shaping language change.

The project set out with the goal of crafting a state-of-the-art tool for marking and studying speech sounds in large databases of Norwegian speech and to examine the emergence of new speech trends. The research team looked into whether today’s speech trends can be traced back to young people from migrant backgrounds, much like previous studies have found. Challenges like getting hold of the right data led the team to creatively adapt, finding additional support and new resources to keep the project on track.

As ISC-Oslo wrapped up, it was clear that, despite some detours, the project's heart and drive hadn't changed from the beginning. It not only confirmed key theories about how language changes in diverse urban environments but also went a step further. The team developed Autophon beta and the Forced Alignment of Danish – tools that are milestones in the technological side of speech study.

These achievements from ISC-Oslo have significance that stretches beyond university walls. They provide methodologies and instruments that are vital for industries and forensic centers that are fine-tuning speech and language technology. The project has meaningful implications for society by contributing to our understanding of language's role in the ever-changing tapestry of city life.

The project has answered a call to better grasp the relationship between our social world and the way we speak. It has shed light on the nuances of speech evolution in Scandinavian cities, confirming the power of being flexible and forward-thinking in research. The project leaves a lasting mark, enhancing the collective knowledge of both the scholarly world and society at large.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

From the start, ISC-Oslo set out to understand how speech in Scandinavian cities has changed over time, focusing on why these changes might have occurred in the 2000s. The project worked on a tool that could automatically analyze speech in large amounts of recorded language, which helped examine new speech trends among young people from immigrant backgrounds.

However, unexpected difficulties emerged when certain language data was hard to get, which resulted in an adjustment to the original plan. Extra funding was secured, and language data from Denmark was used along with a corpus of Stockholm Swedish. These changes allowed for the project to meet its main goals and maintain high-quality research despite initial setbacks.

The most notable achievement of ISC-Oslo is Autophon beta located at www.autophon.se. It contains new technology for studying different Nordic languages. This tool is now widely used in Scandinavia and beyond, helping experts analyze large sets of language data.

The project also revisited classic sociolinguistic concepts, applying them to contemporary urban speech and finding that young city-dwellers from immigrant backgrounds may be at the forefront of language change, much like the influential groups in classic sociolinguistic studies. This aligns with the idea that language change often starts from the periphery before becoming mainstream. ISC-Oslo's exploration provided empirical backing for this theory, highlighting the intricate link between societal shifts and language development. These insights offer a richer understanding of how language not only reflects but also shapes the identity of urban communities, contributing to discussions on integration, education, and policy-making.

The findings from ISC-Oslo have been shared at universities and conferences, which shows the project's influence in academic circles. These discoveries are also useful for forensic language studies, and potentially also industry players like Google and OpenAI, who often seek out annotated spontaneous speech data to improve how machines understand and produce human speech.

In the end, ISC-Oslo has been about adapting to challenges and finding new ways to combine language study with technology. The team's work has led to new insights into language and practical tools that can be used in the real world, making a significant mark in both science and society.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ISC-Oslo has significantly advanced sociophonetics by examining phonetic changes in the ethnically diverse communities of urban Scandinavia. The development of the Autophon beta, a novel automatic phonetic annotation tool, has allowed researchers to analyze speech patterns on a scale not previously possible, marking a breakthrough in computational linguistics.
As researchers begin accessing the annotation of the resulting Norwegian corpora, their analyses are expected to yield detailed insights into language variation and support the creation of sophisticated AI language models. Such advancements stand to significantly impact both the academic field and practical applications in technology.

The socio-economic significance of ISC-Oslo is extensive. In the realm of forensic linguistics, the project enhances speech analysis techniques essential for legal proceedings, including speaker identification in a more judicially secure way. This practical application is evidenced by the integration of the project's lead researcher into the National Forensic Center in Sweden.

Moreover, ISC-Oslo's research plays a critical role in broader societal contexts, particularly in an era where multicultural interactions shape our urban existence. The project's findings feed into critical conversations about immigration, integration, and social diversity, offering data that can guide public policy and influence educational approaches. ISC-Oslo not only highlights the link between language and societal factors but also promotes a deeper understanding of linguistic diversity as an integral aspect of cultural identity.

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