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We caught up with Dr. Yaqian Huang and asked these questions:

Could you tell us a little bit about your professional background, and what you’ve enjoyed the most about your career so far?

I am a linguist and cognitive scientist specializing in experimental phonetics, focusing on speech perception, production, and their relationship. I received my PhD in linguistics and cognitive sciences from UC San Diego, and then worked as a lecturer at UCLA for a year, and before I came here, I was finishing up my postdoc in Vienna, at the Acoustics Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. I love the interdisciplinary nature of my career because I work on speech and language, which has connections to many different fields including psychology, neuroscience, music, and engineering.

What inspired you to enter this field?

I've always been a language lover. I've explored many fields in linguistics as my first interest was actually metaphors, then syntax diversity across languages, semantics, phonology, and acquisition. I was finally drawn to phonetics because of creaky voice which grabbed all my attention while I was annotating Mandarin sounds for a project as a master student. It ultimately led to my lasting fascination with the fine phonetic details of speech sounds and their meaning and functions in language systems. Literally, how and why can such subtle aspects of speech shape communication?

Tell us about your research?

I work at the intersection of linguistic phonetics and cognitive science. I study both the physical and physiological aspects of speech and the mental construct and underlying neural substrate for which speech is generated and processed. I currently investigate how people use and learn to use pitch and voice quality in speech communication, and the role that fine phonetic details play in the formation of sound categories in language. I also work on speech perception in dialectal variation, and word learning with the integration of eye-tracking and acoustic measures.

Tell us about your teaching?

I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses in phonetics, speech pathology, and research design and methods. I enjoy mentoring students, through which I aim to demystify academic research and empower them with the confidence and skills to undertake independent research. Being an educator is a privilege. The most rewarding part is when students leave my course inspired, approaching me with new questions and a desire to apply what they’ve learned.

What are your impressions of Edmonton/the ÒÁÈËÖ±²¥ so far?

I’m excited to be joining the ÒÁÈËÖ±²¥ and to get to know Edmonton. From what I’ve seen so far, the university has a very strong community of linguists with a collaborative and welcoming spirit. Edmonton itself strikes me as a vibrant city with lots of cultural life, and I’m especially looking forward to exploring its nature and outdoor activities.

Who are your four dream dinner guests (living or dead)?

Napoleon Bonaparte, Marie Curie, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Carl Jung.

What are your hobbies, or things you like to do outside of work?

Outside of research, I have rich interests in extracurricular activities. I've played Brazilian jiu jitsu, which challenges me both physically and mentally. I also like singing, playing the piano, board games including chess and go, discovering new restaurants, and traveling — especially when I can combine it with conferences or fieldwork.

Welcome to the Department, Yaqian. We are happy you are here!