Anna Mai
Phonology + Auditory Neuroscience
About Me
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Language and Computation in Neural Systems research group at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. I study the neural basis of speech sound perception, and my research integrates insights from linguistic theory and typology with computational and experimental methods from laboratory phonology, neuroscience, and psychology.
Selected Projects
Linguistic structure as a guiding principle for human neuroscience
To study language in the brain, we often look to model systems for help (songbirds, artificial grammars, etc.). This project flips this paradigm on its head and argues that language itself is an excellent model system for cognition.
Acoustic and language-specific sources for phonemic abstraction from speech
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Weak determinism and the computational consequences of interaction
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Ja'a Kumiai Illustration of the IPA
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Teaching
Manuscripts
Papers
| forthcoming | A. McCollum, E. Bakovic, & A. Mai. On the inevitability of non-myopic harmony. Phonology. [pdf] |
| 2025 | A. Mai, & A. Martin. Linguistic structure as a guiding principle for human neuroscience. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. [pdf] |
| 2024 | A. Mai, S. Ries, S. Ben-Haim, J. Shih, & T. Gentner. Acoustic and language-specific sources for phonemic abstraction from speech Nature Communications. [pdf] |
| 2024 | E. Meinhardt, A. Mai, E. Bakovic, & A. McCollum. Weak determinism and the computational consequences of interaction. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory. [pdf] |
| 2024 | C. Coopmans, A. Mai, & A. Martin. "Not" in the brain and behavior. PLOS Biology. [pdf] |
| 2023 | C. Coopmans, A. Mai, S. Slaats, H. Weissbart, & A. Martin. What oscillations can do for syntax depends on your theory of structure building. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. [pdf] |
| 2022 | A. Mai, S. Ries, S. Ben-Haim, J. Shih, & T. Gentner. Phonological contrasts are maintained despite neutralization: an intracranial EEG study. Supplemental Proceedings of the Annual Meeting on Phonology 2021. [pdf] |
| 2022 | T. Sainburg, A. Mai, & T. Gentner. Long-range sequential dependencies are phylogenetically pervasive in behavior and precede complex syntactic production in language. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. [pdf] |
| 2021 | E. Bakovic & A. Mai. Comparing Positional Licensing Patterns in HG and OT. Supplemental Proceedings of the Annual Meeting on Phonology 2020. [pdf] |
| 2020 | A. McCollum, E. Bakovic, A. Mai, & E. Meinhardt. Unbounded circumambient patterns in segmental phonology. Phonology. [v1][v2] |
| 2020 | A. Mai. Phonetic effects of onset complexity on the English syllable. Journal of Laboratory Phonology. [pdf] |
| 2019 | A. Mai, M. Moua, & M. Garellek. Tone-Tune Association and Voice Quality in Green Mong Folk Songs. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. [pdf] |
| 2018 | A. Mai, A. Aguilar, & G. Caballero. Ja'a Kumiai. Journal of the IPA. [pdf] |
Posters & Selected Talks
| SNL 2024 | A. Mai. Language structure on both sides of the braincase. [video] |
| SNL 2023 | A. Mai, A. Martin. Coordination of statistical and linguistic information during spoken language comprehension. [abstract][poster] |
| SNL 2021 | A. Mai, S. Ries, S. Ben-Haim, J. Shih, T. Gentner. Phonemic category & higher-order acoustic features jointly drive neural response to speech. [abstract][video] |
| AMP 2021 | A. Mai, S. Ries, S. Ben-Haim, J. Shih, T. Gentner. Phonological contrasts are maintained despite neutralization: an intracranial EEG. [poster][abstract][video] |
| AMP 2020 | E. Bakovic, A. Mai. Comparing positional licensing patterns in HG and OT. [poster][abstract][video] |
| AMP 2019 | A. Mai, E. Bakovic. Cumulative Constraint interaction and the equalizer of HG and OT. [poster][abstract] |
| SCiL 2018 | A. Mai, E. Bakovic, M. Goldrick. Phonological opacity as local optimization in Gradient Symbolic Computation. [poster][abstract] |
| ASA 2017 | A. Mai. Phonetic effects of onset complexity on the English syllable. [poster] |
| SCAMP 2017 | A. Mai, M. Garellek. Tone and phonation in Green Mong song. [poster] |