Florence Baills

Research Interests

The acquisition of prosody in a second language
The relationship between music and language
Multimodal learning and embodied cognition

Research Projects

- How does a musical training affect children’s learning of a second language?

- What is the role of pitch gestures perception and production in the acquisition of Mandarin Chinese lexical tones?

Presentations

2019

Baills, F., Rohrer, P., & Prieto, P. (2019) Le geste et la voix pour enseigner la prononciation en langue étrangère. Oral presentation at the 2ème colloque international de l’enseignement du français parlé. Université de Rouen Normandie: Rouen (France), Oct. 24-25.

Baills, F., Zhang, Y., Bu, Y., Cheng, Y., & Prieto, P. (2019) Listening to songs and singing benefit initial stages of L2 pronunciation. Poster presentation at New Sounds 2019. University of Waseda: Tokyo (Japan), Aug. 30 - Sept. 2. 

Zhang, Y. & Baills, F. (2019) Hand-clapping to the rhythm of newly learned words improves L2 pronunciation: Evidence from Catalan and Chinese learners of French. Poster presentation at New Sounds 2019. University of Waseda: Tokyo (Japan), Aug. 30 - Sept. 2.

Li, P., Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2019) Durational hand gestures facilitate the learning of L2 vowel length contrasts. Oral presentation at Phonetics and Phonology in Europe 2019. University of Salento: Lecce (Italy), June 17-19.

Baills, F. (2019) Does training rhythmic and melodic features help learners improve L2 pronunciation? Oral presentation at UR-Ling workshop. University Pompeu Fabra: Barcelona (Spain), June 12.

Li, P., Baills, F., & Prieto P. (2019) Durational hand gestures facilitate the learning of L2 vowel length contrasts. Poster presentation at XIV International Symposium of Psycholinguistics, University Rovira i Virgili: Tarragona (Spain). Apr. 10-13.

2018

Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2018). Écouter de la musique et chanter peuvent-ils faciliter l’apprentissage de la prononciation et du vocabulaire dans une langue étrangère? Poster presentation at 2e journées d'étude: Dimension sonore et acquisition des L2. Réseau d'Acquisition des Langues Secondes: Nantes (France), Dec. 6-7.

Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2018). Clapping hands help children understand and reproduce the rhythm of a new language. Poster presentation at EuroSLA28. University of Münster: Münster (Germany), Sept. 5-8.

Li, P., Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2018). Does the use of visuospatial hand gestures facilitate the learning of L2 vowel length contrasts?. Oral presentation at EuroSLA 28. University of Münster: Münster (Germany), Sept. 5-8.

Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2018). Picar de mans ajuda els nens a comprendre i pronunciar el ritme d’una segona llengua. Oral presentation at 10è Workshop sobre la prosòdia del català. University of Barcelona: Barcelona (Spain), June 28.

Li, P., Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2018). Does the use of visuospatial hand gestures facilitate the learning of L2 vowel length contrasts? Oral presentation at 10è Workshop sobre la prosòdia del català. University of Barcelona: Barcelona (Spain), June 28.

Baills, F., Zhang, Y., & Prieto, P. (2018). Hand-clapping to the rhythm of newly learned words  improves L2 pronunciation: Evidence from Catalan and Chinese learners of French. Poster presentation at Speech Prosody 9. Adam Mickiewicz University: Poznań (Poland), June 13-16.

2017

Kushch,O., Baills, F., Zhang, Y., Gluhareva, D., & Prieto, P. (2017) Beneficis dels gestos rítmics i les activitats rítmiques en l'ensenyament de la pronúncia. Oral presentation at II Jornades sobre l’ensenyament de la pronunciació del català. Universitat de Barcelona: Barcelona (Spain), Dec. 15

Baills, F., Suárez-González, N., González-Fuentes, S., Prieto, P. (2017). Brief trainings with pitch gesture observation and production help learning Mandarin Chinese tones and words. Oral presentation at L2 Phonetics and Phonology of L1 Romance Learners. University of Turin: Turin (Italy), Nov. 16-17.

Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2017). Do Catalan children improve their pronunciation in French after a short training with words and hand-clapping? Oral presentation at L2 Phonetics and Phonology of L1 Romance Learners. University of Turin: Turin (Italy), Nov. 16-17.

François, C. & Baills, F. (2017). Le rôle de l’apprentissage de la musique dans l’acquisition d’une langue étrangère. Oral presentation at Jornada de Francès organitzada pel departament d’Ensenyament de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Cosmocaixa: Barcelona (Spain), Nov. 13.

Baills, F., Suárez-González, N., González-Fuentes, S., Prieto, P. (2017). Observing and producing pitch gestures enhance tones and words learning in Mandarin Chinese. Oral presentation at EuroSLA27. University of Reading: Reading (UK), Aug. 30 - Sept. 2.

Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2017). The effect of active musical training on learning the pronunciation of a foreign language. Oral presentation at Eurosla27. University of Reading: Reading (UK), Aug. 30 - Sept. 2.

Baills, F. & Prieto, P. (2017). Pot la música ajudar a millorar la pronúncia en una segona llengua? Oral presentation at the 9è Workshop sobre la Prosòdia del Català. University of Barcelona: Barcelona (Spain), July 7.

Baills, F., Suárez-González, N., González-Fuentes, S., Prieto, P. (2017). Pitch gestures help learning Mandarin Chinese tones and words: a brief training study on perception and production. Poster presentation at Language as a form of Action. Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC): Rome (Italy), June 21-23.

Baills, F., Suárez-González, N., González-Fuentes, S., Prieto, P. (2017). Perceiving and producing gestures mimicking the F0 curve of Mandarin lexical tones help learning Mandarin tones and words. Poster presentation at Phonetics and Phonology in Europe 2017. University of Cologne: Cologne (Germany), June 12-14.

2016

Baills, F., Suárez-González, N., González-Fuente, S. & Prieto, P. (2016) Observing and Producing Pitch Gestures enhance the Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese Tones and Words. Poster presentation at the Workshop on audiovisual speech processing and language learning, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona (Spain), Nov. 28-29.

Baills, F., Prieto, P. (2016) L'efecte de la producció de gestos entonatius en l'adquisició dels tons del xinès mandarí. Oral presentation at Workshop sobre la prosòdia del català. Universitat de Barcelona: Barcelona (Spain), July 4.

Suárez-González, N., Baills, F. , González-Fuente, S. & Prieto, P. (2016) Observing and Producing Pitch Gestures enhance the Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese Tones and Words. Oral presentation at New Sounds 2016. Aarhus University: Aarhus (Denmark), June 10-12.