Speech is one of the most complex and frequent human activities, necessary for expressing our ideas, wishes, troubles… I find it fascinating that we never have to think about how to speak until a disruption happens. Problems with speech, either in a first or foreign language, lead to reduced comprehension of what we said, and can significantly limit communication with others. Fortunately, almost all speech problems can be improved, and often completely removed. I feel privileged to be part of this process.
Education
PhD in Speech Science, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK.
MSc in Clinical linguistics, University of Potsdam, Germany.
BA in Speech and language therapy and special education for deaf, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Work experience
I have extensive experience in researching typical speech, speech in foreign languages, and speech disorders. As a researcher, I have been involved in numerous projects addressing:
- various speech disorders (childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria, disorders of individual speech sounds)
- pronunciation training in foreign languages (English, French, Swedish)
- bilingualism
- application of ultrasound tongue imaging as visual biofeedback in speech therapy and foreign language learning
- usage of objective methods (acoustic and articulatory speech analysis) in speech therapy practice.
Additionally, I worked as a speech and language therapist in a rehabilitation clinic where I obtained invaluable experience in addressing numerous speech and language disorders.
Finally, I have studied and worked in several countries (Slovenia, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, the Netherlands, France, Finland), which made me even more aware of how important it is to be able to communicate well not only in one’s first language but also in foreign ones. Being a mom of two multilingual children, I deeply appreciate practical characteristics of multilingual speech, and the needs of multilingual speakers.
Current academic activities
Currently I undertake research and teach speech and language therapy as:
- Research Fellow at Charles University (Prague)
- Assitant Professor at University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Languages
My first language is Slovenian, I speak fluent English, as well as conversational Czech and Slovak.