Margaret Jacks Hall, Bldg.460

Stanford, CA 94305

Office: 460-118

Email: yuanzhao@stanford.edu

Research Interests

● Statistical inference in perceptual learning of speech category

● Phonetic variations and reductions

● Lexical effects, lexical representation

● Perception of non-native categories

● Disfluencies in spontaneous speech

● Tone and intonation

● Phonation and voice quality

● Sociophonetics, identity issues in second language learning

 

I’m a fourth year PhD student specializing in phonetics, laboratory phonology and speech research in general. Currently my work focuses on investigating the role of statistical inference in the perceptual learning of non-native speech categories. Another line of my research involves using both corpus and experimental approaches to investigate phonetic variations across genres and styles. On of the main goals of my previous research is to  model phonetic variations in conversations and in different speech genres, such as foreigner-directed speech and emotional speech. I’m also interested in lexicon-internal factors that influence our speech production and recognition, especially how lexical factors such as word frequency and neighborhood influence tone production. I’ve also been  working on disfluencies and in particular the role of disfluencies in speech production and comprehension. At the application end, I’ve been collaborating with my colleagues on the automatic detection of disfluencies in natural conversations.

 

 

 

 

 

   Yuan Zhao

    Department of Linguistics, Stanford University

Education

Publications

Past and Current Projects

2004-present, PhD student, Department of Linguistics, Stanford University  

2005 summer, Linguistics Summer Institute, MIT & Harvard University

2001-2004, M.A. in Linguistics, English Department, Peking University                             

1997-2001, B.A. in English Language & Literature, English Department, Peking University        

   Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky (submitted). The effect of lexical frequency on tone space dispersion: Evidence from Cantonese tone production. [abstract]

  Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky (2007). The effect of lexical frequency on tone production. Proceedings of 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Germany. [pdf]

    Scarborough, R., Brenier, J., Zhao, Y., Hall-Lew, L., & Dmitrieva, O. (2007). An acoustic study of real and imaginary foreigner-directed speech. Proceedings of 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Germany. [pdf]

   Chu, Cheng-tao, Yun-hsuan Sung, Yuan Zhao & Dan Jurafsky (2006). Detection of word fragments in Mandarin telephone conversation. Proceedings of ICSLP 2006, Pittsburgh. [pdf]

   Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky. (2005). A preliminary study of Mandarin filled pauses. Proceedings of Disfluency in Spontaneous Speech 2005, Aix-en-Provence. 179-182. [pdf]

    Gao, Yihong, Yuan Zhao, Ying Cheng & Yan Zhou. (2007). Relationship between English learning motivation types and self-identity changes among Chinese students. TESOL Quarterly, vol.41 (1), 133-155. [pdf]

    Gao, Yihong, Ying Cheng, Yuan Zhao & Yan Zhou. (2005). Self-identity changes and English learning among Chinese undergraduates. World Englishes, vol. 24, 39-51. [pdf]

   Gao, Yihong, Yuan Zhao, Ying Cheng & Yan Zhou. (2004). Motivation types of English learning among Chinese university undergraduates. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, vol.14, 45-64.  [pdf]

Conference Presentations

    Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky (2007). The effect of lexical frequency on tone production. Talk to be presented at the 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Germany.

   Scarborough, R., Brenier, J., Zhao, Y., Hall-Lew, L., & Dmitrieva, O. (2007). An acoustic study of real and imaginary foreigner-directed speech.. Poster to be presented at the 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Germany.

    Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky (2007). Effect of word frequency on tonal variation. Poster presented at Workshop on Variation, Gradience and Frequency in Phonology, Stanford.

    Scarborough, R., Dmitrieva, O., Hall-Lew, L., Zhao, Y. & J. Brenier. (2007). An acoustic study of real and imaginary foreigner-directed speech. Poster to be presented at the Annual Meeting of Acoustical Society of America, June 2007.

    Zhao, Yuan (2007). The effect of lexical frequency on tone production. Talk presented at LSA Annual Meeting 2007, Anaheim, Janunary 2007.

    Chu, Cheng-tao, Yun-hsuan Sung, Yuan Zhao & Dan Jurafsky (2006). Detection of word fragments in Mandarin telephone conversation. Poster presented at ICSLP 2006, Pittsburgh. [pdf]

    Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky (2006). Tone or toneless: The prosody of Mandarin filled pauses. Poster presented at 10^th Conference on Laboratory Phonology, Paris. [abstract] [poster]

    Zhao, Yuan (2006). Do disfluencies have tones: A case study of Mandarin filled pauses. Poster presented at LSA summer meeting, Michigan. [ppt]

    Zhao, Yuan & Dan Jurafsky (2005) A preliminary study of Mandarin Filled Pauses. Paper presented at Disfluency in Spontaneous Speech 2005, Aix-en-Provence. [pdf]

    Zhao, Yuan (2005) Event structure and sub-classification of Mandarin verbs of cognition. Paper presented at 17^th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics. Monterey.

 

● Effect of Lexical Frequency on Tone Production

 

Collaborator: Dan Jurafsky

 

● Disfluency in Spontaneous Speech

 

Collaborators: Dan Jurafsky, Yun-Hsuan Sung

 

● Emotional Speech 

 

Collaborators: Heriberto Avelino, Lauren Hall-Lew, Olga Dmitrieva

 

● Foreigner-directed speech

 

Collaborators: Rebecca Scarborough,  Jason Brienier, Lauren Hall-Lew, Olga Dmitrieva

 

 

● Prosody and Dative Alternation

 

Collaborators: Tom Wasow, Jan Strunk,, Nick Romero, Rowyn McDonald, Huihsin Tseng

 

 

 

Spring Quarter Teaching: Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology