31.03.2025 Strikingly inconspicuous: Focus on Weak Language Elements

Linguist Prof. Dr. Ulrike Domahs heads new research group on weak elements in language development

A test subject recording an electroencephalogram (EEG). In the experiment, information on the processing of linguistic elements is obtained in this way.

When we speak or learn a language, they are always present: tempo, melody and rhythm. Prosody is the name given to this complex interplay of linguistic factors between sounds and words. If this interplay is missing, spoken language sounds monotonous at best. At worst, it can no longer be understood. While strong elements of prosody, i.e. stressed syllables and sounds or strong accents in rhythm, have been relatively well researched, the role of weak, unstressed elements has so far been little studied. The new research group led by Marburg wants to change this. 

“Weak Elements in Phonology: Development, Processing and Modality” is the name of the group, which is being funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with around 4.1 million euros over the next four years. 

“If you want to understand how language works, the University of Marburg is the right place for you. This latest success once again demonstrates the excellence of our research in the profile areas of “Language Dynamics” and “Mind, Brain, Behavior” and strengthens the University of Marburg in the competition for funding. I congratulate Ulrike Domahs and everyone involved on this achievement,” says Prof. Dr. Gert Bange, Vice President for Research at the Philipps University of Marburg.

Professor Dr. Ulrike Domahs is the spokesperson for the new research group.

Marburg neurolinguist Prof. Dr. Ulrike Domahs is the group's spokesperson. “The research group should lead to a better understanding of the functions of weak units in language development and processing,” she explains. ”Results from a pilot study show that young children need some time before they can correctly produce unstressed syllables at the end of words. For some children, such difficulties last longer, which can have a negative impact on further language acquisition,” explains Domahs.

Empirical research in recent decades has shown that prosody plays an important role in language learning and language processing. For example, elements such as accent, rhythm and stress have been shown to support the learning of words and the identification of word stems and phrase types in the first year of life. Weak syllables can carry important grammatical information, for example about singular and plural as in “sketches” vs. “sketch”. When comparing prosodic systems in different languages, there are striking differences in terms of weak and not primarily stressed elements. However, it is still largely unclear how these elements contribute to the structure of prosodic systems and their processing. 

The research group (FOR) will examine the topic from different perspectives and investigate the following questions: 

• How are weak elements acquired under different conditions? 
• How do they develop historically? 
• Which neuronal processes are involved in their comprehension? 
• What role do they play in verse? 
• How do they influence the processing of grammatical information?
• How does language modality affect their acquisition and processing? 

The research group brings together researchers from many different fields of linguistics and uses a wide range of experimental methods to investigate the functions of weak elements. In addition to the Marburg researchers, scientists from the University of Erfurt, the University of Mannheim, Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the German Institute for Adult Education - Leibniz Institute for Lifelong Learning in Bonn and the Leibniz Institute for the German Language in Mannheim are also involved. The results should contribute to a better evaluation of theoretical assumptions about prosodic systems, language development and the role of modality, as well as to the didactics of spoken and written language.