Teaching

Courses taught at University of Minnesota

SLHS 1301W The Physics and Biology of Spoken Language

(4 credits; meets physical science and writing requirements)
This course covers the physics and biology of spoken language, from the talker’s production of sounds and words, to the transmission of sound, to the listener’s perception of what was said. Computer analysis and synthesis of speech are incorporated into the course content.

Please click here for a tentative syllabus for SLHS 1301W, Spring 2010.

SLHS 1402 The Talking Brain (Spring, 2010)

(3 credits; meets Lib Ed req of Social Science Core)

This ENTRY-LEVEL course deals with a quintessential aspect of human nature - how the brain supports language. Topics include (a) basic knowledge on anatomy and physiology of neural network involved in producing and understanding speech and language, (b) basic knowledge on the acoustic features of spoken language and sound patterns of language, (c) basic knowledge on the structure of language and language acquisition, (d) modern brain research techniques and the hot topics in cognitive neuroscience of language and music, (e) Research findings from normal populations ( the developing brain, mature brain, aging brain, bilingual brain) and clinical populations (aphasia, amusia, dyslexia, central auditory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, language-specific impairment). Theoretical importance, empirical limitation, and societal impacts of the research findings will be discussed.

Please click here for a tentative syllabus for SLHS 1402, Spring 2010.
Click here to find the free software, BrainVoyager Brain Tutor, which will be used for SLHS1402.
Example of brain activities for speech perception, taken from Zhang et al. (2005).

SLHS 3301 Introduction to Acoustics

(3 credits; meets physical science requirement)
This course addresses elements of acoustics necessary to understand quantitative aspects of speech and hearing science, speech-language pathology, and audiology. The nature of sound, sound transmission, simple harmonic motion, sound intensity and pressure, complex waves, resonance and filtering, and distortion is discussed.
This course is currently reshaped into speech science and acoustics.

Honors Seminar: The Science of Speech: Language and the Brain

(Reserved for Students in the Honors Program)
This seminar is about language, a unique and fascinating product of the human mind/brain. We will examine human language in all aspects of its structure and use in comparison with animal communication systems. We are especially interested in how infants crack the speech code with so much ease and how early experience alters the brain, thereby affecting an individual’s future perceptions and actions. Both historical perspectives and current research will be introduced and discussed. Students are expected to learn not only the basics of speech acoustics, speech anatomy and physiology and properties of the auditory system but also the cutting-edge technology of computer speech synthesis, automatic speech recognition, and modern brain imaging techniques. Dominant methods in speech and language research will be compared and contrasted, especially in tests of special populations involving infants, bilingual children, autistic children, dyslexics, and aphasics. A variety of delivery formats will be used, including video demonstrations, guest lectures, student presentations, debates, and software package tutorials. Hands-on experiments will be assigned as an integral component of the discussion, covering digital processing of speech and music, cross-language comparisons of speech acoustics and speech perception, brain anatomy tutor, neural activity simulator and neural network models of linguistic functions.

Graduate Seminar in Speech — Neuroimaging

(Open to anyone who is interested in the topic)
Advanced study and analysis of research in speech/language science and brain imaging.

The course web sites are hosted by the University WebVista system, which is open only to students who are registered for the courses.

Note: Zhang will be on leave in the Fall of 2009. The courses, if offered, will be taught by other professors.

Course Schedule and Registration

Click here to go to UMN course schedule for basic information and online registration.

Questions & Answers

Speech, Music and the Brain

Q: How do I generate the hummed pitch for speech using Praat?

A: Please click here to see the answer in pdf format.

Q: Is there any neural evidence to support the notions of pitch, timbre, rhythm, and semantics (or emotion) of music and specific cognitive disorders in perceiving the different aspects of music?
A: I hope the lecture by Professor Griffiths can answer your question satisfactorily.
Click here to view the lecture in .wmv format.

Q: What is amusia? Is it a kind of aphasia for music?
A: Please check out online discussion by Professor Oliver Sacks and other related videos.

Dr. Sacks on Amusia	Dr. Sacks on Musicophilia
Dr. Tallal on music training and language learning	Dr. Kuhl on language learning in infants