Dynamic Dialects is an interactive accent database that allows visitors to compare English dialects from around the world. The research team behind the project – who represent the University of Glasgow, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, University College, London, and Napier University, Edinburgh – use a technique called Ultrasound Tongue Imaging (UTI) to document and analyze these dialects.
The UTI is able to record the movement of the tongue and other articulatory organs. (This site contains an extensive explanation in How UTI Works for interested visitors.) Project participants from around the world pronounced the same 28 words in a studio with a UTI. On this website visitors can listen to an audio recording of all participants via an interactive map, which allows one to explore the pronunciation of multiple words by a single speaker. Alternatively, visitors can browse the Accent Chart, which allows visitors to quickly compare the pronunciation of the same word by different speakers. [MMB]
This review originally published in The Internet Scout.
