Equipment
Inventory
The LoL has a sound-attenuated recording booth for high-quality recordings, as well as a large inventory of equipment that can be checked out for class and thesis research. Click on the equipment name to access the user manual.
Recording
USB microphones
These can be directly plugged into a USB port on your laptop.
- (7): For high-quality acoustic recordings through a laptop.
- (5): For decent-quality acoustic recordings through a laptop.
XLR microphones
These need to be plugged into an XLR port, e.g. on a Zoom H4 or H4n recorder.
- (5): Clips onto clothing to keep mouth-mic distance constant, but requires an XLR jack, so use with a Zoom H4 or H4n Handy Recorder.
- (1): For high-quality acoustic recordings through a laptop, but requires an XLR jack, so use with Sound Devices USB preamplifier. This microphone cannot be checked out of the LoL.
Audio recorders
- (2): Battery-operated, with internal mic, tripod stand, headphones, and hard- shell briefcase. Great for work in the field when you don’t plan to conduct an acoustic analysis later.
- Zoom H2n Handy Recorder (4): Same as above, but in a smaller case with accessories kept separate.
- (1): Battery-operated, with internal mic, XLR jack, headphones, and hard-shell briefcase. Great for work in the field when you do plan to conduct an acoustic analysis later, provided you use an AudioTechnica clip microphone (see below).
- (6): Same as above, but in a smaller case with accessories kept separate.
Preamplifiers
- (1): A hardware interface that prepares a microphone signal for further processing by other equipment, such as a laptop. Frequently used with our Behringer condenser microphone. This preamplifier cannot be checked out of the LoL.
Articulatory research
- Electroglottograph (EGG): measures glottal impedance for research on voice quality
- Aerodynamic masks: measures airflow for research on nasalization and aspiration
- Ultrasound: tracks tongue position and glottal height for research on place of articulation
- Static palatography equipment: for research on coronal articulations
Lock box
- The lock box may be used to store sensitive data (e.g. participant names, contact info) collected by any student or faculty member for linguistics research, in accordance with policies. The box itself is held in a locked cabinet in the LoL.
Books
- An ABC for Baby Linguists - Michael Bernstein, 2013
- ˈÆlɪsɪz Ədˈventʃəz ɪn ˈWʌndəˌlænd - Lewis Carroll, transcribed in the IPA by Michael Everson, 2014
- A New Self-Teaching Course in Practical English and Effective Speech - Estelle B. Hunter, 1936
- Frog, Where Are You? - Mercer Mayer, 2003
- Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk - Josh Katz, 2016
Best practices
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Use the user’s manual! We strongly recommend that you make a test recording, from set-up to the dropping of files, to make sure that you’ve got it all down (esp. before going into the field).
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Click on the name of a recorder above to access the manual.
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Check the batteries! You are responsible for replacing dead batteries.
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Short recordings can be made directly in ; for recordings longer than a few minutes, use or .
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Save recordings as .wav files.