Research Interests

My research lies at the intersection of phonetics, multilingualism, speech science, and applied linguistics.

1. Multilingualism: One of my main research interests concerns how multilingualism influences voice quality, articulatory gestures, speech perception and production (including both categorical and within-category dimensions), sound change, and language acquisition. I am particularly interested in how multilingual speakers navigate and manage distinct phonetic and phonological systems across languages.
   • Selected presentation: Cho (2023) – What does it mean to sound Korean-Canadian, eh? A comparative study on Canadian English vowel space
   • Selected publication: Cho, Jongman, Wang & Sereno (2020) – Multi-modal cross-linguistic perception of fricatives in clear speech
   • Selected publication: Cho & Munro (2017) – F0, long-term formants and LTAS in Korean-English Bilinguals


2. Speech Disorders: I am interested in how speech disorders — for example, neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease — affect articulation and voice quality. I am also interested in the relationship between speech and other motor domains, such as fine and gross motor control, and how these systems interact in both healthy and clinical populations.
   • Selected publication: Diep, Cho, Shamei, Liu & Gick (2024) – Comparing speech to fine and gross motor skills in Parkinson’s patients


3. Applied Phonetics: I aim to bridge the gap between linguistic theory and real-world practices by exploring how insights from phonetic research can be translated into effective tools for pronunciation instruction, forensic linguistics, and speech-based AI technologies.
   • Selected presentation: Cho – Linguistics in the World! The Science Behind Language: A Uniquely Human Ability