This focus area, directed by Eugene H. Buder, Ph.D., supports research on the nature of sound signals used for communication and the mechanisms that produce them. A broad range of topics may be investigated in this area, for example: respiratory and laryngeal movements for speech production; normal and pathological voice qualities; variations in speech segments associated with infant and child development, motor speech disorders, phonological patterns, or second-language acquisition; emotional expression; animal vocalizations; and many others according to the interests of students and collaborators. Many other faculty members participate in this focus area, including Drs. Michael Cannito, D. Kimbrough Oller, and Linda Jarmulowicz, and facilities that support these topics include the Speech Science Lab, the Phonetics Lab, and the Clinical Instrumentation Station.