Symposium and Book release
The science-history symposium “Armando de Lacerda: A pioneer of Experimental Phonetics” is jointly hosted by the Class for humanities and for outstanding services to science and by the Center for History of Science at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The symposium focuses on the scientific and historical context in which the humanist Armando de Lacerda operated in the 1930s. Armando de Lacerda got a degree in German Philology by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto, and was offered a grant to go to Germany in 1930 in order to specialize in the then emerging scientific field of Experimental Phonetics.. He seized the opportunity and became within a couple of years a well-respected and promising experimental phonetician demanding independent, objective and verifiable explanations for the Humanistic research questions and complex speech phenomena. Upon returning to Portugal he built one of the most advanced phonetics laboratories of that time at the University of Coimbra. His laboratory attracted international students and scholars – while being largely ignored by the Portuguese linguistic community.
Armando de Lacerda’s pioneering work and successful integration of empirical methodologies in Experimental Phonetics is a perfect reminder of the power and importance of grounded multidisciplinary approaches to the study of complex Humanistic issues. Armando de Lacerda’s creative ingenuity in the context of general science and philosophical trends of the last two centuries, offers today an inspiring refreshing historical perspective on how simple fundamental principles can be applied in the basic study of complex phenomena.
The symposium closes with the release of the book The Global Periphery: Armando de Lacerda and the Coimbra Experimental Phonetics Laboratory (1936-1979), by the science historian Quintino Lopes, Institute of Contemporary History, University of Évora Unit, Portugal.
The symposium is organised by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, with support from Sven och Dagmar Saléns stiftelse, Kungl. Vitterhetsakademien and Instituto Camões, Portugal
Programme
09:30
Opening Address
- Birgitta Henriques Normark, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
- Sara Martins, Ambassador of the Embassy of Portugal in Stockholm
09:40
Introduction: Presentation of the workshop’s structure
Francisco de Lacerda, Vice Chair Class X, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Chair: Karl Grandin, Center for History of Science
09:45
Grammarians and phonologists in the 1800s
Östen Dahl, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Chair: Karl Grandin, Center for History of Science
10:05
Technology and Phonetics in the 1800s
Francisco de Lacerda, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Chair: Karl Grandin, Center for History of Science
10:20
Coffe break
10:40
The transformation of acoustics into electroacoustics from the 1890s to the 1930s
Roland Wittje, Aachen University, Germany
Chair: Karl Grandin, Center for History of Science
11:10
Overview of 1800s’ scientific trends
Chair: Karl Grandin, Center for History of Science
Panel: Östen Dahl, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,
Francisco de Lacerda, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and
Roland Wittje, Aachen University, Germany.
11:40
Lunch and continued discussion for all the participants at the Academy of Science’s Klubbvilla
12:45
Session introduction
Francisco de Lacerda, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
12:55
Phonetics in the early 1900s
Michael Ashby, University College London, UK
Chair: Östen Dahl,
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
13:25
The advent of Experimental Phonetics in Germany
Angelika Braun, University of Trier, Germany
Chair: Östen Dahl, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
13:50
Short break
14:10
Armando de Lacerda: Pioneering Experimental Phonetics
António Almeida, Retired EU Linguist
Chair:
Angelika Braun, University of Trier, Germany
14:35
Armando de Lacerda: A global periphery
Quintino Lopes, Institute of Contemporary History, University of Évora Unit, Portugal
Chair:
Angelika Braun, University of Trier, Germany
15:00
Armando de Lacerda’s technical innovations and his relation to Sweden
Francisco de Lacerda, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Chair:
Angelika Braun, University of Trier, Germany
15:10
Coffee break
15:30
Experimental Phonetics: A multidisciplinary science
Chair:
Francisco de Lacerda, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Panel: Roland Wittje, Aachen University, Germany, Östen Dahl, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Michael Ashby, University College London, UK, Angelika Braun, University of Trier, Germany, António Almeida University of Cologne, Germany
16:30
Short break
16:40
Final remarks
Karl Grandin, Center for History of Science, Francisco de Lacerda, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
16:55
Book release
The Global Periphery: Armando de Lacerda and the Coimbra Experimental Phonetics Laboratory (1936-1979)
17:20-17:30
Closing
The event is free of charge and open to the public but registration is required for all participants
Photo: Armando de Lacerda at the University of Bonn Phonetics Institute (1932). Credits: Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra.
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