In the Sound Patterns Laboratory (funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation), we use various phonetic techniques to study speech production and perception, to increase our understanding of the sound patterns, and more generally, the role that phonetic and other factors play in shaping the sound systems of languages. The SPL houses a sound-proof booth, ultrasound and electropalatography equipment for visualizing and recording tongue movement, equipment for measuring oral and nasal airflow, and an electroglottograph for recording vocal fold activity. The lab also contains audio and video recording equipment and several Mac-, Windows- and Linux-based computers for data analysis and perception and production experiments. The research conducted in the laboratory not only bears on English, French, but also on any other language of interest to researchers and students.

Simard 333A

Director: Suzy Ahn (Hamelin Hall 438)

Sound Patterns Laboratory

The CCLR pursues psycholinguistic research on language processing, focusing on speech perception, speech production, and spoken word recognition in children and adults. We provide state-of-the-art training for undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and aim to provide a forum for cutting-edge research and critical thinking in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Our campus lab is equipped with an Eyelink 1000, remote eyetracking system, which provides a precise, on-line measure of language processing, and is suitable for a range of experimental studies, such as the visual world paradigm and on-line reading paradigms. The CCLR houses a sound-proof booth, video and audio equipment, and several workstations for data collection and analysis. 

The uOttawa Living Lab at the Science and Technology museum is equipped with two Eyelink 1000 Plus remote eyetracking systems, 3 sound-attenuated rooms, and a variety of video and audio equipment. Visit the uOttawa Living Lab website for more information. 

CCLR on campus: Simard 333H

uOttawa Living Lab: Canada Science and Technology Museum

Directors: Tania Zamuner (Hamelin Hall 416)

Centre for Child Language Research

The focus of the research conducted in the ERP Linguistics (ERPLing) Lab is to investigate aspects of first, second and bilingual language processing. To undertake this issue the laboratory facilities include three behavioural/RT testing rooms and one ERP equipped testing room. In addition there are workstations available for data analysis and stimuli/experiment preparation. Some of the programs that are available are DMDX, Presentation, PsyScope, E-Prime, MatLAB, NeuroScan, BESA, PRAAT, R, and SPSS.

Hamelin Hall 408

Director: Laura Sabourin (Hamelin Hall 439)

ERPLing Lab

The Sociolinguistics Laboratory was created in 1982 to further the study of spontaneous speech in its social context, with special emphasis on the mechanisms of language change, both internal and contact-induced. In addition to a major focus on the structure and use of Canada's official languages, as well as the interaction between them in Quebec and Ontario, other bilingual and bi-dialectal contexts investigated at the Lab include Tamil/English, Fongbe/French, Wolof/French, Ukrainian/English, Igbo/English, Nigerian Pidgin English, Finnish/English and African American English in the diaspora. Holdings include thousands of hours of audio recordings, and associated transcripts and concordances.

Hamelin Hall 402-406 

Director: Shana Poplack (Hamelin Hall 422), ext. 1764, [email protected]

Research coordinator: Nathalie Dion (Hamelin Hall 403),  ext. 1184 [email protected] 

The Syntax–Semantics Lab is a collection of students and faculty members at the University of Ottawa, dedicated to research into all aspects of natural language syntax and semantics. We work on a wide variety of languages, including various Romance and Germanic languages (both present-day and historical varieties), Slavic languages, Ojibwe, and Mebengokre, and on topics ranging from word structure and phrase structure to formal and cognitive semantics. 

The group meets approximately every two weeks during the semester, to exchange ideas, present original research, prepare for conferences, and discuss recent papers. 

Hamelin Hall 415

If you have any questions, or would like to be involved, don’t hesitate to contact Professor Éric Mathieu