Prof. Dr. Melanie Weirich

Publications & Presentations

Publications

• Duran, Daniel; Weirich, Melanie; Bernau, Natalie; Jannedy, Stefanie  (2023) Eliciting phonetic register variation via app  In: 19. Tagung Phonetik und Phonologie im deutschsprachigen Raum (P&P) [DOI] [ViVo]
• Pescuma, Valentina Nicole; Serova, Dina; Lukassek, Julia; Sauermann, Antje; Schäfer, Roland; Adli, Aria; Bildhauer, Felix; Egg, Markus; Hülk, Kristina; Ito, Aine; Jannedy, Stefanie; Kordoni, Valia; Kühnast, Milena; Kutscher, Silvia; Lange, Robert; Lehmann, Nico; Liu, Mingya; Lütke, Beate; Maquate, Katja; Mooshammer, Christine; Mortezapour, Vahid; Müller, Stefan; Norde, Muriel; Pankratz, Elizabeth; Patarroyo, Angela Giovanna; Plesca, Ana-Maria; Ronderos, Camilo R.; Rotter, Stephanie; Sauerland, Uli; Schulte, Britta; Schüppenhauer, Gediminas; Sell, Bianca Maria; Solt, Stephanie; Terada, Megumi; Tsiapou, Dimitra; Verhoeven, Elisabeth; Weirich, Melanie; Wiese, Heike; Zaruba, Kathy; Zeige, Lars Erik; Lüdeling, Anke; Knoeferle, Pia; Schnelle, Gohar  (2023) Situating language register across the ages, languages, modalities, and cultural aspects: Evidence from complementary methods  In: Frontiers in Psychology [DOI] [PDF] [ViVo]

  In the present review paper by members of the collaborative research center ‘Register: Language Users’ Knowledge of SituationalFunctional Variation’ (CRC 1412), we assess the pervasiveness of register phenomena across different time periods, languages, modalities, and cultures. We define ‘register’ as recurring variation in language use depending on the function of language and on the social situation. Informed by rich data, we aim to better understand and model the knowledge involved in situation- and function-based use of language register. In order to achieve this goal, we are using complementary methods and measures. In the review, we start by clarifying the concept of ‘register’, by reviewing the state of the art, and by setting out our methods and modeling goals. Against this background, we discuss three key challenges, two at the methodological level and one at the theoretical level: 1. To better uncover registers in text and spoken corpora, we propose changes to established analytical approaches. 2. To tease apart between-subject variability from the linguistic variability at issue (intra-individual situation based register variability), we use within-subject designs and the modeling of individuals’ social, language, and educational background. 3. We highlight a gap in cognitive modeling, viz. modeling the mental representations of register (processing), and present our first attempts at filling this gap. We argue that the targeted use of multiple complementary methods and measures supports investigating the pervasiveness of register phenomena and yields comprehensive insights into the cross-methodological robustness of register-related language variability. These comprehensive insights in turn provide a solid foundation for associated cognitive modeling.

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• Duran, Daniel; Weirich, Melanie; Jannedy, Stefanie  (2023) Eliciting phonetic register variation via app  In: Phonetik & Phonologie im deutschsprachigen Raum (P&P) [ViVo]
• Duran, Daniel; Weirich, Melanie; Jannedy, Stefanie  (2023) Experimental assessment of intra-individual stylistic variation in fine phonetic detail [ViVo]
• Jannedy, Stefanie; Weirich, Melanie  (2023) Plapper – a smartphone app for self recording: Exploration of Vowel-Spaces  In: Phonetics and Phonology in Europe 2023 (PaPE) [ViVo]
• Duran, Daniel; Weirich, Melanie; Jannedy, Stefanie  (2023) Assessing register variation in local speech rate  In: International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS). Prague Congress Center [ViVo]

  We present findings on phonetic register variation (which refers to conventionalized and socially recurring linguistic patterns of intra-individual speech behavior) in contrasting situated interactions. In this study, we examine the differences in speech rate within individuals. Our data was collected using an innovative method where participants engage in simulated tele-conference conversations with a video-recorded interlocutor. Each participant experienced both a “formal” situation, such as requesting a deadline extension from a superior, and an “informal” one, like describing their favourite recipe to an acquaintance. The silent interlocutor persona appeared in two different styles, including variations in hair, clothing, and make-up. This experimental setup allows us to manipulate the conditions systematically and consistently, while eliciting subtle phonetic differences in the laboratory setting. Our hypothesis is that speech production slows down in formal situations due to processing and memory load constraints. Statistical analyses conducted on data from 45 German participants support our hypothesis, showing a decrease in speech rate in the formal condition.

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• Jannedy, Stefanie; Brandt, Erika; Weirich, Melanie; Schüppenhauer, Gediminas  (2021) Phonetic Register Coding in Formal and Informal Speech  In: Phonetics and Phonology in Europe 2021 (PaPE) [ViVo]
• Jannedy, Stefanie; Brandt, Erika; Schüppenhauer, Gediminas; Witt, Johannes; Weirich, Melanie  (2021) What Pauses tell us about Register  In: Phonetik und Phonologie im deutschsprachigen Raum (P&P17) [ViVo]
• Weirich, Melanie; Jannedy, Stefanie; Schüppenhauer, Gediminas  (2020) The Social Meaning of Contextualized Sibilant Alternations in Berlin German  In: Frontiers in Psychology [DOI] [ViVo]

Presentations

• Schüppenhauer, Gediminas; Weirich, Melanie; Duran, Daniel; Jannedy, Stefanie  (2022) Register Differences in Vowel Dispersion in Formal and Informal Situations  In: 11th International Conference on Language Variation in Europe - ICLaVE|11 [ViVo]
• Brandt, Erika; Weirich, Melanie; Schüppenhauer, Gediminas; Jannedy, Stefanie  (2021) An experimental approach to cross-situational variation of single speakers  In: New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV 49) [ViVo]