Jim Scobbie - Research Profile

James M Scobbie MA MSc PhD, Professor of Speech Science

Director of CASL: the Clinical Audiology, Speech and Language Research Centre

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Professor Jim Scobbie studied at the University of Edinburgh where he graduated with a degree in Linguistics with Artificial Intelligence, and a PhD in Cognitive Science. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University, took up the position of research fellow at Queen Margaret College. He leads QMU’s research Theme of Speech and Communication. Professor Scobbie is also an honorary fellow of Informatics at Edinburgh University.

RESEARCH

Professor Scobbie's research involves the measurement and analysis of speech sounds, speech articulation, and abstract linguistic concepts. The CASL Research Centre, of which he is Director, has an international reputation for the clinical application of speech science technologies.

He works in the academic disciplines of phonology and phonetics, aiming to understand the fine-grained knowledge about speech sounds and articulatory movements that speakers need to learn in order to master a language. He uses the normal dialectal and stylistic variation that exists in a community as a tool to reveal generalisations about all languages, from an experimental perspective. His collaboration therefore involves colleagues in sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, child language development, informatics and speech and language therapy. His laboratory-based measurement of speech have used QMU’s world-leading expertise in ultrasound tongue imaging (UTI) and electropalatography (EPG) as well as other articulatory measurement techniques such as Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh. Professor Scobbie’s longer term strategic goal for CASL is to provide effective and innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and techniques in the areas of Audiology, Speech and Language.

His research into the changing Scottish accent has attracted much media interest, particularly in the gradual loss of the consonants “r” and “l”, and changes to vowels like “oo”.

 EXAMPLES OF PROFESSOR SCOBBIE’S RESEARCH

The tongue is a complex moving organ, largely hidden from view. To understand speech production, it is essential to develop measurement equipment that can reveal the movements of the tongue within the mouth. We need to be able to track its changing shape, which creates resonant air-spaces in the vocal tract crucial for the sound of vowels, and also the patterns and timing of any contacts that it makes against the roof of the mouth, which can block airflow or generate turbulence, essential to the pronunciation of consonants.

To understand normal vowel and consonant production, Professor Scobbie undertakes detailed studies of accent variation. These can reveal detail about how sounds are formed, and about how speakers make movements with the intention of avoiding making sounds. For example, his work with Dr Jane Stuart-Smith (Glasgow University) and Dr Eleanor Lawson of QMU on Scottish “r” has shown how this consonant is weakening into a vowel, and how different social classes tend to use different tongue shapes and subtle variations in timing to produce their own variant of “r”. More broadly-spoken Scottish speakers even move their tongue in ways appropriate for “r” but do so in the silence after a word has finished, to prevent the sound of the “r” being too strong.

 ACCESSING PROFESSOR SCOBBIE’S EXPERTISE

Queen Margaret University has a range of experts who are available to work with business, research partners, health organisations and government organisations. Over the years Professor Scobbie has collaborated with speech research colleagues in the UK, Europe and North America, as well as specialists within the area of Speech and Hearing Sciences.

If you’re interested in accessing Professor Scobbie’s expertise to assist your project development please contact: Kim Gilchrist, Senior Project Adviser, E:kgilchrist@qmu.ac.uk or T: 0131 474 0000 and ask for each member of staff by name.

KEY MEDIA TALKING POINTS

Professor Scobbie is an experienced media commentator having provided regular specialist comment on speech and language sciences to the national newspapers. He would be happy to provide specialist comment to the media in the following areas:

• child speech and childhood speech disorders
• accent and dialectal variation and change (particularly the changing Scottish accent)
• the use of technology to measure tongue movement inside the mouth during speech (electropalatrography/EPG and ultrasound)

 CONTACT:

If you require Professor Scobbie for media comment please contact Lynne Russell, Press and PR Officer, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, tel: 0131 317 3652, mobile: 07711 011239, email: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk