Finalising Marie's PhD thesis in Iceland

Marie Ireland and I have come to Iceland to visit Dr Kate Crowe so that three of four of the team can be together for Marie's PhD submission (Dr Sarah Verdon is in Australia). We had to drive past a few magnificent waterfalls on the way to submission. We fixed a few punctuation marks and page formatting at Gullfoss while drinking hot chocolate, then had celebratory dinner before heading to our colleague's summer house for the submission event - coordinated with people win the US and Australia.

Marie with supervisors Sharynne and Kate at Thingvellir

s

Marie with excited supervisors Sharynne and Kate at Gullfoss

Celebratory dinner

Checking submission status in the north of Iceland

Visiting the University of Iceland

Dr Kate Crowe is both an Adjunct Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University and Adjunct at The University of Iceland. It was good to see where she spends a lot of time each day.

We are working on creating a Memorandum of Understanding between Charles Sturt University and the University of Iceland https://english.hi.is/university/partner_universities

Speech Therapy Association of Iceland

I was very welcomed by the Félag talmeinafræðinga á Íslandi https://www.talmein.is/ [Speech Therapy Association of Iceland]. I really enjoyed meeting speech therapists and students. Marie Ireland also joined us from the Unitted States. One new graduate (Ösp) even brought her book for me to sign!

Meeting with the Speech Therapy Association of Iceland

Meeting with members of the Speech Therapy Association of Iceland

I enjoyed chatting with Ösp about her work and research

Manchester Metropolitan University - letter

On behalf of the communication disability research cluster and the speech pathology team at MMU, I would like to express my sincere thanks to you, for all your hard work with us last week. The Dept Research Wellness workshop on Monday 17th was very well received by the 16 people who attended, many of whom are early career researchers. I received a number of emails expressing gratitude for the session.

The webinar on Communication Disability and the Sustainable Development Goals which you and I jointly presented on Tuesday 18th, was attended by local, national and international attendees, both face to face and online. Again, attendees said that it was extremely useful and thought provoking.

Thank you for providing six in-depth one-to-one mentoring opportunities for members of the Communication Disability Research Cluster. They were was energised and inspired by the work that you did with them.

It was excellent for you and I to have an opportunity to meet with our Head of Dept, Julie Wright and our faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor, Saul Becker, and to talk about further collaborative opportunities.

Thanks for attending graduation with us- it is always lovely to have visitors.

In between these activities, you and I also managed to complete a video recording for Speech Pathology Australia to accompany our guest co-edited special edition of the International Journal of Speech Language Pathology that focuses on the Communication, swallowing & the SDGs, to redraft an article to be submitted to BMJ Global Health and to prepare papers for our next international conferences.

I look forward to continuing our very fruitful collaboration over the next months and years.With all good wishes,

Julie Julie Marshall (She/her) PhD., MPhil, BSc.,
Professor of Communication Disability. Health Professions Dept. Manchester Metropolitan University
Honorary Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZuluNatal, South Africa.

Day 4: Meetings and writing at Manchester Metropolitan University

To continue from Monday's research wellness retreat, today I had 1 hour meetings with 5 staff members to discuss their research and career aspirations. It was a great opportunity to dream about the difference these people will make in the lives of so many people by the time they retire.

MMU Resource Centre

Manchester Metropolitan Universitiy has a fantastic Resource Centre for their students and staff to create, unertake assignments, and enjoy. All the assessments and audio/video equipment was available here to be borrowed as well. Another good idea to bring home.

Manchester bees

Manchester's symbol is the bee.According to the Manchester City Council "The bee denotes Mancunians' hard work ethic and the city being a hive of activity." The bee is known for its link between Manchester and the industrial revolution.

Manchester also is the home of Emmeline Pankhurst, who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote.

Statistical learning or phonological universals? Ambient language statistics guide consonant acquisition in four languages

The following paper has just been published.
Contreras Kallens, P., Elmlinger, S., Wang, K., Goldstein, M., Crowe, K., McLeod, S., & Christiansen, M. (2023). Statistical learning or phonological universals? Ambient language statistics guide consonant acquisition in four languages. In I. M. Goldwater, F. K. Anggoro, B. K. Hayes, & D. C. Ong (Eds.), Proceedings of the 45th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 3290-3296). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3wj6767p

Here is the abstract 

What predicts individual differences in children’s acquisition of consonant production across languages? Considerations of children’s development of early speech production have traditionally emphasized inherent physiological constraints of the vocal apparatus that speakers generally have in common (i.e., articulatory complexity). In contrast, we propose a statistical learning account of phonological development, in which phonological regularities of the ambient language guide children’s learning of those regularities in production. Across four languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean), we utilized recent meta-analytic dataset of age of consonant acquisition spanning 28 studies. High-density measures of children's ambient language environment from over 8,000 transcripts of speech directed to over 1,000 children were used to assess how well the frequency of consonants in childdirected speech predict the age of consonant acquisition. Our results suggest that both frequency and articulatory complexity are related to age of acquisition, with similar results found for English, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean. Consonants heard frequently by children tended to be incorporated into their production repertoires earlier and consonants heard less frequently are incorporated into production repertoires later in development. We discuss future directions that incorporate a statistical learning pathway towards learning to produce the sound patterns of the ambient language. 

Keywords: speech production; language input; language statistics; child-directed speech; phoneme acquisition; statistical learning

Day 3: Graduation at Manchester Metropolitan University

Today was graduation for the students in the Faculty of Health and Education at Manchester Metropolitan University. It was wonderful to celebrate with the students and staff.

MMU Faculty staff

Prof Julie Marshall and Prof Sharynne McLeod

Catching up with Grace Kelly in Manchester

Grace Kelly worked with us at Charles Sturt University during 2021 and the beginning of 2022. She was our research assistant on the Say Bananas research. Our research has recently been published:

McLeod, S., Kelly, G., Ahmed, B., & Ballard, K. J. (2023). Equitable access to speech practice for rural Australian children using the SayBananas! mobile game. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2205057 

She moved back to the UK just over a year ago - so it was really lovely that she came to Manchester for the evening to catch up.

Day 2: Presentations and meetings at Manchester Metropolitan University

Today Prof Julie Marshall and I gave a MMU Communication Disability and Participation research webinar. We presented a hybrid seminar (online and face-to-face) titled "Using the Sustainable Development Goals to advocate for communication and swallowing disability services: Evidence from a special edition of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology"

Here is the abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs https://sdgs.un.org/goals) consist of 17 Goals aimed at planet and people and cover many aspects of life on earth. McLeod and Marshall guest edited a Special Issue of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, focused on the SDGs and Communication/ Swallowing Disability. Thirty-six papers, by authors from 36 countries, between them addressed all of the SDGs, demonstrating the importance of communication and swallowing to their achievement (open access - https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/iasl20/25/1). In this presentation and workshop the presenters will summarise the SDGs and key learning from this special edition. Participants will be invited to consider the application of the SDGs to their personal and professional lives

Prof Sharynne McLeod and Prof Julie Marshall at MMU

Manchester Metropolitan University

Congratulations Marie

I have just finished reading through the final version of Marie Ireland's PhD by Prior Publication thesis that consists of 13 chapters. Ten chapters are publications and three are exegesis chapters. I have been reading her thesis on planes and across different countries - so it is was exciting to send her the final email moments ago to approve the content for her to finalise and submit when we meet with her co-supervisor Kate Crowe in Iceland next week. It is a shame that her other co-supervisor Sarah Verdon can't join us in person - but will be there cheering from Australia. Congratulations Marie.

Reading Marie's thesis in Salzburg

Day 1: Presentations and meetings at Manchester Metropolitan University

I am a Visiting Professor with Manchester Metropolitan University from March 2022 to March 2024. Today was the first time I actually visited the university, with previous work being undertaken online across timezones between Australia and UK.

Today, I presented a 2.5 hour session titled "Maximising the impact of your communication research using a Research Wellness Checklist" that was  aimed at early and mid career researchers. It was great to have people with a range of research experience and knowledge to share their wisdom and insights.

Next I met Dr Julie Wright, Head of Department, Health Professions and discussed MMU's Good to Great Program. A number of years ago I had been invited to be an international mentor/collaborator for Prof Julie Marshall and the outcome from this collaboration was our special issue of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology that addressed the Sustainable Development Goals. We are presenting a seminar on this tomorrow. We discussed how the SDGs are important to all universities, including CSU and MMU.

Later this afternoon we met with Professor Saul Becker (new PVC of the Faculty of Health and Education at MMU) https://www.mmu.ac.uk/individual-profile/professor-saul-becker He is establishing a new Institute for Children’s Futures and has had a long-standing relationship with Australia – including discussing policy issues about children as carers with Julia Gillard when she was PM. At the end of the meeting he shared that a new banner was put up in the Faculty building with the following six words: Research | Education | Training | Policy | Practice | Impact I thought that we were well aligned throughout the conversation – but these six words nailed it! I look forward to further conversations with people at MMU.

Faculty of Health and Education's new banner

Walking in the rain with Prof Julie Marshall to MMU

Prof Julie Marshall, PVC Prof Saul Becker, Prof Sharynne McLeod

Prof Julie Marshall, HOD Dr Julie Wright, Prof Sharynne McLeod

Some of the MMU staff who attended today's research seminar

Preparing for a week at Manchester Metropolitan University

 On Sunday I visited my colleague Prof Julie Marshall, and we walked on the spectacular West Pennine Moors discussing the week ahead.

Conversations across Europe

After the ICPLA conference I took some leave to travel across Europe and share time with colleagues and family. It has been fantastic to visit countries I have not visited before including Slovakia and Hungary - but have known about due to collaborations with colleagues over the years. It's also been fun to enjoy summer weather.

President of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA)

 I am very honoured to report that while in Salzburg, I was nominated and elected as President of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) for the next 4 years. Vice President is A/Prof Joanne Cleland from University of Strathclyde, Scotland, UK and Secretary is Dr Alice Lee from University College Cork in the Republic of Ireland. The editors of Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics (CLP) are Dr Tim Bressman (Canada) and Prof Vesna Stojanovik (UK).

I have had a long-standing relationship with ICPLA. I served as Australiasian representative from 2000-2006, then Vice President from 2006-2018. I have also served on the editorial board of CLP since 2006. I look forward to supporting knowledge exchange between the very diverse international membership of ICPLA.

The conference venue overlooked Fortress Hohensalzburg (Salzburg Castle)

ICPLA executive: Dr Alice Lee, A/Prof Joanne Cleland,
Prof Sharynne McLeod, Prof Vesna Stojanovik

ICPLA19 - Poster presentations

Australians have presented three posters at the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) symposium:

• Poster #17 Caitlin Hurley, Sharynne McLeod and Robert Anthonappa: Children’s speech and premature loss of primary maxillary incisors
• Poster # 27 Sharynne McLeod and Julie Marshall: Accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals requires communication
• Poster #36 Kate Crowe, Harpa Stefánsdóttir, Egill Magnússon, Mark Guiberson, Thora Másdóttir, Ösp Vilberg Baldursdóttir and Inga Ágústsdóttir: How is speech intelligibility measured for children who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing

Caitlin Hurley and Sharynne

Kate Crowe

Kate Crowe and Sharynne

ICPLA19- Day2- Multilingual Children's Speech in 70+ languages

Today, at the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference in Salzburg, I coordinated a wonderful panel titled "Children’s speech development in 70+ languages and dialects" consisting of 18 presentations over 5 hours with support from Dr Helen Blake and Dr Kate Crowe.

1. Children’s speech development: Cross-linguistic considerations – Sharynne McLeod, Helen L. Blake, Australia; Kathryn Crowe, Iceland and Australia
2. Danish children’s speech development – Marit Carolin Clausen, Denmark
3. Dutch children’s speech development – Anniek van Doornik, Ellen Gerrits, Paula Fikkert, Mieke Beers, The Netherlands
4. English English children’s speech development – Robert Mayr, Rachael-Anne Knight, Sally Bates, Yvonne Wren, and Sara Howard, United Kingdom
5. Irish English speech development – Joan Rahilly, Jill Titterington, United Kingdom
6. Scottish English children’s speech development –James M. Scobbie, Joanne Cleland, Eleanor Lawson, Sonja Schaeffler, Scotland, United Kingdom
7. Canadian French children’s speech development – Andrea MacLeod, Daniel Bérubé, Susan Rvachew, Canada; Francoise Brosseau-Lapré, USA
8. Swiss French children’s speech development – Margaret Kehoe, Nathalie Niederberger, Switzerland 
9. German children’s speech development – Annette Fox-Boyer, Sigrun Lang, Germany 
10. Standard Greek children’s speech development – Areti Okalidou, Greece; Elena Babatsouli, USA
11. Cypriot Greek children’s speech development – Kakia Petinou, Cyprus; Elena Babatsouli, USA; Spyros Armostis, Cyprus Hungarian children’s speech development – Krisztina Zajdó, Hungary 
12. Jamaican Creole children’s speech development – Karla N. Washington, Canada; Kathryn Crowe, Iceland and Australia; Melanie Basinger, Joseph Farquharson, USA
13. Laki children’s speech development –Akram Ahmadi, Zahra Malmir, Iran; Michelle Pascoe, South Africa; Talieh Zarifian, Marjan Larimian, Iran
14. Maltese children’s speech development – Helen Grech, Malta 
15. Norwegian children’s speech development – Kristian E. Kristoffersen, Nina Gram Garmann, Hanne Gram Simonsen, Norway
16. European Portuguese children’s speech development – Maria João Freitas, Marisa Lousada, Ana Margarida Ramalho, Portugal 
17. Swedish children’s speech development – Sofia Strömbergsson, Inger Lundeborg Hammarström, Sweden 

It was followed by a rich discussions where we considered the following questions:

1. What are the common threads you noticed?
2. Are there any surprises (AHA! moments)?
3. What are general trends across languages? How many languages follow universal trends and what languages go against those trends?
4. What will be your takeaway message for families?
5. What will be your takeaway message (clinical implications) for SLPs/educators/other professionals?
6. What theories does this speak to?

Thank you to the amazing authors who presented their languages and research so concisely yet comprehensively and the wonderful collegiality amongst nations.

ICPLA19 - Day 2 - Sharing and learning with colleagues and friends

 

Dr Jill Titterington with Sharynne and David

MISLToe International Panel led by Yvonne Wren and Joanne Cleland

Colleagues from Germany and Portugal

Colleagues from Iceland, UK, Canada, Australia

Colleagues from Cyprus, Greece, USA, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway

ICPLA19 in Salzburg has begun

The 19th International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Symposium has begun in Salaburg. What a fabulous venue overlooking Fortress Hohensalzburg (Salzburg Castle). However, the people - friends and colleagues old and new are even better. 

Sharynne at ICPLA 2023

Sharynne McLeod, Caitlin Hurley (Aus), Joanne Cleland (ICPLA Secretary, Scotland), Vesna Stojanovik (ICPLA Vice President, UK), Kate Crowe (Iceland)

Sharynne with Prof Dr Annette Fox-Boyer (Germany)

Sharynne and Caitlin with the Swedish delegation

Sharynne with Prof Martin J. Ball (Wales)

Sharynne with Dr Carol Kit Sum To (Hong Kong, SAR China)