Melody in speech. Vici grant for Yiya Chen
Unlike Dutch and English, most languages employ melody not only to add nuance to sentences but also to differentiate between words. How languages do this remains largely unknown. This project will investigate the linguistic, psychological and neural processes underlying the parallel communication of word identity and sentence meaning through melody.
Chen is one of the 7 Leiden scientists to receive 1,5 million euros to do research and build up a research group over the next five years. Herman Paul receives a Vici grant for his project 'Early Modern Vices: Why Do They Still Exist?'.
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) is one of the largest science subsidiaries in The Netherlands. NWO promotes quality and innovation in science by selecting and financing the best research projects in the country. The Vici grant is intended for highly experienced researchers who have successfully demonstrated the ability to develop their own innovative line of research and can act as a coach for young researchers. The Vici grant is one of three types of grant in the NWO Talent Scheme. The other two are the Veni grant (for researchers who have gained their doctorates within the last three years) and the Vidi grant (for experienced postdocs who have received their doctorates within the last 8 years).