The University of Sheffield
School of English

Dr Ranjan Sen

Room 2.23, Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
Sheffield
S3 7RA

Internal extension: 20233
Phone number: +44 (0)114-222-0233
Fax: +44 (0)114-222-8481

email : ranjan.sen@sheffield.ac.uk

 Photograph of Dr Ranjan Sen

Overview

My main research interest is sound change, and I focus particularly on theories of diachronic phonology and the interface of phonetics and phonology. In addition to phonological theory and historical linguistics, I have research and teaching experience in experimental phonetics, psycholinguistics, and language acquisition.

I completed my doctorate (D. Phil.) in Comparative Philology and General Linguistics at the University of Oxford in December 2009. My thesis, `Syllable and Segment in Latin´, focused upon Latin phonology and phonological theory, and will be published as a monograph by Oxford University Press in the series Oxford Studies in Diachronic and Historical Linguistics.

Prior to the doctorate, I was awarded the M. Phil. in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology, and the B.A. Hons./M.A. in Literae Humaniores (Classics), both at the University of Oxford.

After the D.Phil., I was a Teaching Fellow at University College London in 2009-10, and a Research Associate and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Oxford in 2010, before joining the School of English in September 2010.

Research

My primary research interest lies in developing techniques to reconstruct and account for phonological change over time, and investigating to what extent structure plays a role in diachronic phonology. I aim to improve methods used to access fine-grained phonetic evidence from dead languages, for use in phonological theories. The methodology broadly consists of: (1) analysing the results of, and carrying out, phonetic experiments which might illuminate the conditions in the language, (2) examining the typology of phenomena in the language, and the insights of phonological theories, (3) reconstructing the phonetics and phonology of the dead language, and (4) investigating the phonological implications of the reconstruction, both for the language and for phonological theory. We can then better address the much-debated question of whether phonetics and analogical pressures alone drive sound change, or if structural constraints play a role.

My current research focuses on three areas: (1) investigating the role played by prosodic structure in sound change, examining the roles of syllable and foot structure in English, Latin, Bengali, and several Romance languages; (2) working in collaboration with Professor Joan Beal (University of Sheffield) to construct a database of eighteenth-century English phonology from contemporary sources, such as pronouncing dictionaries, in order to address problems in English phonology, both historical and contemporary; (3) working in collaboration with the Oxford Phonetics Laboratory to investigate theories of speech production and phonological representation in the mind, from the evidence of reading aloud non-words, examining questions of both phonological and psycholinguistic significance.

I have formerly been involved with projects on the construction of rich, intelligent data mining capabilities for a substantial collection of spoken audio data in British English, and on developing and evaluating techniques for identifying and monitoring different types of disordered speech.

Teaching

I teach the undergraduate level 3 courses EGH310 Psychology of Language, ELL330 Phonology, and ELL353 Comparative Philology. At Master’s level, I teach a course in Phonological Acquisition for the MAs in Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics, and in Linguistic Theory and Language Acquisition for the MAs in Language Acquisition and Cognitive Studies. I have previously taught courses on Phonological Theory, Phonetics (articulatory and acoustic), Syntax and Morphology, and Latin Historical Linguistics.

Supervision

I would welcome expressions of interest in PhD topics in phonology, particularly in historical or theoretical phonology, or in comparative philology. If you are thinking of doing a PhD in any of these areas, feel free to email me to discuss possible supervision, projects or funding.

I have previously supervised MA theses in Phonology, in subjects ranging from feature theory to tonal phenomena in Papuan languages. I currently supervise MA dissertations in Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics in topics such as the production of English word-final consonants by speakers of Chinese, the acquisition of word order by Italian and English infants, politeness strategies in academic writing, and language in advertising.

Administrative Positions

As Director of the MA in Language Acquisition, I oversee the running of the programme, from providing pastoral care, through teaching several modules, to supervising the majority of the dissertations. Please contact me if you have queries on the content or aims of the course.

I am the joint Disability Liaison Officer for the School of English (with Andrew Smith), providing a conduit for effective communication between students, the Disability and Dyslexia Support Service (DDSS) , lecturers and personal/seminar tutors, and any other relevant parties. My role is to ensure that students are provided with the best support to be able to complete and enjoy their degrees to the best of their abilities.

Selected Publications

Monograph

Articles and Chapters

Editor