Articulatory control and the nature of phonological organization

Information

  • Satellite workshop at LabPhon 20, Montreal, Canada
  • Date: 25 June 2026, 09:00-12:30
  • Location: TBC

Description

Since its inception, understanding the nature of phonological organization has been a core goal of Laboratory Phonology. Theories and models of articulatory control remain central to this endeavour, because they open a window into the planning and control of speech that fundamentally supports the realization of phonological structure. This satellite workshop looks back to longstanding debates on phonological organization, while looking forward to the advances that will drive progress on the nature of articulatory control, the role of symbolic representations, and the embodiment of phonology. Topics include:

  1. What is the nature of articulatory control? The control of speech has been formulated in numerous ways, including dynamical systems (Saltzman & Munhall, 1989; Browman & Goldstein, 1992) and multi-component symbolic theories (Turk & Shattuck-Hufnagel 2020). Recent years have seen a greater focus on the role of optimal feedforward control (Šimko, Elie & Turk 2025) and feedback control (Parrell et al. 2019; Tilsen 2022), bringing to light complex interactions between spatial, temporal and auditory goals in speech. How do these different forms of feedback shape phonological structure?

  2. What is the role of symbolic representations? Is phonological structure an emergent consequence of lower-level coordination dynamics, or do articulatory principles constitute optimal solutions for achieving pre-existing, learned structures? This raises questions around the ontological status of symbolic representations: are they cognitively real objects, or are they a convenient shorthand for complex interactions in a dynamical system?

  3. How does the body support phonology? While concerns of phonology have traditionally privileged the mind, the evolution of the vocal tract and its physical structures are a prerequisite for speech. How does the body support the emergence of phonological structure?

Submission instructions

  • We invite submissions on articulatory control and phonological representation, including (but not exclusive to) the above topics.
  • The presentation format will be detemined by the number and quality of submissions, but please indicate if you have a preference for a standard talk (15-20 mins), a lightning talk (5-10 mins), or a poster presentation. We will notify authors of the finalised format upon acceptance.
  • Please email an abstract (max. 2 pages) to Sam Kirkham by 27 March 2026 (by the end of the day, Anywhere on Earth time).

Program

TBC

Organisers