As learners, sometimes it is hard for us to pinpoint what exactly it is that we are not hearing or saying properly; Praat helps us to see this in a very concrete way. This workshop is geared towards people who are interested in fine-tuning their own or others’ listening and speaking skills. Over the course of the workshop, participants will learn how to use Praat as a visual aid for hearing and transcribing speech (e.g. stories), as well as for fine-tuning pronunciation, by measuring certain features of speech (e.g. pauses and intonation patterns) and adjusting them to match those of their elders and teachers.

Example of what we might work on (depending on group interest)

One way that I (Rae Anne) have used Praat is to study the pauses in my speech compared to those in my elders’ speech: I took a close look at my pauses, and discovered that some are intentional and some are not. I was able to see that when I say words full of clusters (groups of consonants), I unintentionally pause/stop for a longer time than my elders do. In sentences, I saw that I didn't always pause at the same places that my elders intentionally did. I have used Praat to locate and measure pauses, in order to use them more like my elders do. 

Methods and materials:

• Syllabus: We will provide participants with a syllabus ahead of the workshop, laying out the activities for each class, and what kinds of recordings we will be working on.
• Methods: This will be a fully interactive workshop, where participants will be guided through using Praat to pinpoint their and/or their students’ listening and speaking challenges, and to help overcome these challenges by visualizing the speech signal. Participants will be able to work on their own or in groups, depending on their interests and on their comfort level with technology.
• Materials: an introductory guide to using Praat will be provided in printed and electronic versions. Other materials, including sample audio clips, will be provided as we go.

Workshop requirements:

• Equipment: Ideally, participants will bring their own laptop computer and headphones. We are hoping to run the workshop in a computer lab though, so that there are no barriers to participating. 
• Supplies: If possible, a recording that you would like to work on (e.g. a story you are currently transcribing or learning to tell), preferably one that you find challenging.

Facilitation Team

Rae Anne Claxton & Sonya Bird

Time & Location

TBA