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Philosophische FakultätPhonetik (Institut für Linguistik)

Dr. Simona Sbranna

Institut für Linguistik - Phonetik
Herbert-Lewin-Str. 6
D-50931 Köln

E-Mail: s.sbranna(at)outlook.com

Postdoctoral researcher in “Skills and Structures in Language and Cognition”

Short biography

Simona Sbranna graduated in 2018 in Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Salerno (Italy) with a focus on linguistics and language teaching. After her M.A. she was employed for a semester at the University of Salerno as a graduate teaching and research assistant. 2018 she was awarded a “Predoc” scholarship, 2019 a doctoral scholarship by a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities and 2022 a further one-year scholarship by the Mercator Institute for reaching out. She completed her PhD in 2023 with the thesis  “Developing linguistic competence in second language learning: Fluency and prosody in Italian learners of German” supervised by Prof. Martine Grice and Prof. Michelina Savino and gave a training to learners of German (DaF) based on the results of her research work. Her thesis was awarded the IPA PhD Thesis award for the best PhD Thesis in the broad area of Phonetics, Speech Sciences, and Laboratory Phonology. In the same years she started working as a Post-Doc within the project “Skills and Structures in Language and Cognition” with a focus on multimodal feedback signals and interactional fluency. Her current research interest is the multidimesionality of L2 acquisition, including its emotional component.

Publications

2025

2024

2023

2022

  • Sbranna, S., Wehrle, S., & Grice, M. (2022). The use of backchannels and other very short utterances by Italian learners of German. In R. Orrico & L. Schettino (Eds.), The position of the speaker in interaction: Attitudes, intentions, and emotions in verbal communication (Studi AISV, Vol. 9, pp. 149–169). Officinaventuno. https://doi.org/10.17469/O2109AISV000008
  • Sbranna, S., Möking, E., Wehrle, S., Grice, M. (2022) Backchannelling across Languages: Rate, Lexical Choice and Intonation in L1 Italian, L1 German and L2 German. Proc. Speech Prosody 2022, 734-738, doi: 10.21437/SpeechProsody.2022-149. https://www.isca-archive.org/speechprosody_2022/sbranna22_speechprosody.pdf
  • Savino, M., Sbranna, S., Ventura, C., Albert, A., Grice, M. (2022) Imitating intonation in a non-native variety: the influence of the native repertoire. Proc. Speech Prosody 2022, 739-743, doi: 10.21437/SpeechProsody.2022-150. https://www.isca-archive.org/speechprosody_2022/savino22_speechprosody.pdf

2020

  • Sbranna, S., Cangemi F. and Grice, M. (2020). Quantifying L2 interactional competence. In Romito L. (Eds), Language change under contact conditions: acquisitional contexts, languages, dialects and minorities in Italy and around the world, Collana Studi AISV 7, Milano: Officinaventuno, 383-405. DOI: 10.17469/O2107AISV000018. http://www.aisv.it/StudiAISV/2020/vol_7/018_SbrannaCangemiGrice.pdf 

2018

  • Alfano I., Savy R., Sbranna S., Schettino L., (2018). Strategie discorsive in spagnolo L1 e L2 a confronto: un'indagine su corpora dialogici. CHIMERA: Romance Corpora and Linguistic Studies. 5(1), 27-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15366/chimera2018.5.1.002

Forthcoming

  • Sbranna S. (Forthcoming). Prosody and interactional fluency of Italian learners of German. (EuroSLA Studies). Berlin: Language Science Press. https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/515
  • Sbranna, S. (Forthcoming). Erfolge und Grenzen des DAF-Prosodietrainings für Deutschlernende mit romanischen Muttersprachen. Analisi linguistica e letteraria.
  • Sbranna, S., Savino, M., Baills, F., & Grice, M. (Forthcoming). Vocal feedback and eye gaze patterns in Italian task-based dyadic conversations. In Collana Studi AISV. Milano: Officinaventuno.
  • Damiazzi, V., & Sbranna, S. (Forthcoming). The perception of prominence in L2 German: A preliminary assessment using periodic-energy-based measurements. German as a Foreign Language.
  • Ferin, M., Sbranna, S., & Albert, A. (Forthcoming). Prosodic patterns of Italian rhetorical questions. In Oxford Handbook.

 

Presentations

2025

  • Sbranna, S. (2025, April 4). Prosodische Markierung des Informationsstatus beim Lernen und Lehren von Deutsch als Fremdsprache (DAF) [Invited talk]. University of Insubria, Como, Italy.
  • Sbranna, S., Schettino, L., & Maffia, M. (2025, February 6–8). To be or not to be disfluent in an L2: Exploring speech management in Italian learners of German [Poster presentation]. XXI AISV Conference "The Sound of Grammar", University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Turin, Italy.
  • Sbranna, S., & Cangemi, F. (2025, February 6–8). Quantitative metrics of interactional fluency: Mutual silence and vocal feedback reflect L2 learners’ proficiency [Poster presentation]. XXI AISV Conference "The Sound of Grammar", University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Turin, Italy.

2024

  • Sbranna, S., Schettino, L., & Maffia, M. (2024, July 1). Does L2 (dis)fluency improve with proficiency? An exploration on Italian learners of German [Conference talk]. Satellite Workshop of Speech Prosody “Prosodic features of language learners' fluency”, Leiden, Netherlands.
  • Wehrle, S., & Sbranna, S. (2024, July 1). Longer silence duration in L2 conversations is modulated by proficiency—evidence from turn-timing in German and Italian [Conference talk]. Satellite Workshop of Speech Prosody “Prosodic features of language learners' fluency”, Leiden, Netherlands.
  • Sbranna, S. (2024, May 9). Developing prosodic competence in Italian students of German [Invited talk]. 3° Workshop “Prosodia tedesca: Tendenze della fonetica e della didattica DaF in Italia”, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.
  • Sbranna, S., Baills, F., Savino, M., & Grice, M. (2024, February 1–3). Vocal feedback and eye gaze patterns in Italian task-based dyadic conversations [Poster presentation]. XX AISV Conference “Voices, Media, and New Technologies”, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
  • Ferin, M., Sbranna, S., & Albert, A. (2024, February 1–3). The intonation of rhetorical questions in Italian [Conference talk]. XX AISV Conference “Voices, Media, and New Technologies”, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
  • Damiazzi, V., & Sbranna, S. (2024, February 1–3). Phonetic correlates of the perception of communicative intentions in podcasts’ narrative journalism [Poster presentation]. XX AISV Conference “Voices, Media, and New Technologies”, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.

2023

  • Möking, E., Sbranna, S., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2023, September 28–29). Monitoring and assessing L2 prosodic competence [Conference talk]. 2nd International Conference on Language MOOCs and OERs: New Trends and Challenges, University of Naples L'Orientale, Naples, Italy.
  • Sbranna, S., Wehrle, S., Bauer, A., Gipper, S., Herrmann, T., & Hosemann, J. (2023, June 15–17). Predictability of head movements as feedback signals in signed and spoken languages [Poster presentation]. LingCologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • Sbranna, S., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2023, May 26–27). Can we use categories when investigating interlanguages? [Conference talk]. Hanyang International Symposium on Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language, Seoul, South Korea.
  • Janz, A., Sbranna, S., Wehrle, S., & Grice, M. (2023, March 7–10). The effect of conversational setting on backchannel feedback [Conference talk]. 45. Jahrestagung der DGfS, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

2022

  • Janz, A., Wehrle, S., Sbranna, S., & Grice, M. (2022, September 14–16). The lexical and intonational realisation of backchannels is less constrained in spontaneous than task-based conversation [Conference talk]. 4th International Symposium on Applied Phonetics (ISAPh), Lunds Universitet, Lund, Sweden.
  • Albert, A., Lialiou, M., Sbranna, S., & Cangemi, F. (2022, June 2–3). Improved acoustic characterization of prosodic prominence using periodic energy mass [Poster presentation]. 3rd International Conference “Prominence in Language” (ICPL III), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • Sbranna, S., Möking, E., Wehrle, S., & Grice, M. (2022, May 23–26). Backchannelling across Languages: Rate, Lexical Choice and Intonation in L1 Italian, L1 German and L2 German [Conference talk]. 11th International Conference on Speech Prosody, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Sbranna, S. (2022, May 12). Developing linguistic competence in second language learning: prosodic marking of information status and backchannels in Italian learners of German [Invited talk]. University of Insubria, Como, Italy.
  • Sbranna, S., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2022, April 20–22). L2 acquisition: Continuous modulation of prosodic parameters or categorical (de)accentuation? [Conference talk]. 10th International Symposium on the Acquisition of Second Language Speech, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Sbranna, S., Wehrle, S., & Grice, M. (2022, February 7–8). The use of backchannels and other very short utterances by Italian learners of German [Conference talk]. XVIII AISV Conference “The position of the speaker in interaction: Attitudes, intentions, and emotions in verbal communication”, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.

2021

  • Sbranna, S., Ventura, C., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2021, December 6–9). Developing prosodic competence: Marking information status in L2 German [Poster presentation]. TAI 2021: 1st International Conference on Tone and Intonation, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark.
  • Sbranna, S., Ventura, C., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2021, October 12–13). Prosodic marking of information status: An exploratory study on L1 Italian and L2 German [Conference talk]. Workshop “Trends in pedagogical transmission of prosody – TiPToP”, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
  • Sbranna, S., Wehrle, S., & Grice, M. (2021, September 29–30). Developing L2 interactional competence: Turn-taking across proficiency levels [Conference talk]. P&P 2021: Phonetik und Phonologie im deutschsprachigen Raum, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
  • Savino, M., Ventura, C., Sbranna, S., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2021, June 21–23). Native variety interference when imitating intonation in a non-native variety of Italian [Poster presentation]. 4th PaPE – Phonetics and Phonology in Europe, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Sbranna, S., Ventura, C., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2021, June 21–23). Prosodic expression of information status in Italian [Poster presentation]. 4th PaPE – Phonetics and Phonology in Europe, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Sbranna, S., Ventura, C., Albert, A., & Grice, M. (2021, February 4–5). Prosodic marking of information status in L1 Italian and L2 German [Conference talk]. XVII AISV Conference “Speaker Individuality in Phonetics and Speech Sciences”, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Sbranna, S. (2021, January). Developing linguistic competence in second language learning: Fluency and prosody in Italian learners of German [Invited talk]. Research Colloquium IfL – Phonetik, University of Cologne, Germany.

2020

  • Sbranna, S., Cangemi, F., & Grice, M. (2020, September 10–11). Reconceiving fluency as an indicator of L2 interactional competence [Conference talk]. Phonetik und Phonologie 2020, Universität Trier, Trier, Germany.
  • Sbranna, S., Cangemi, F., & Grice, M. (2020, January 29–31). Quantifying L2 interactional competence [Conference talk]. XVI AISV Conference “Language Variation under Contact Conditions”, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.

2019

  • Sbranna, S., Cangemi, F., & Grice, M. (2019, September 26–27). Towards quantifying conversational competence in second language learning [Poster presentation]. Phonetik und Phonologie 2019, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Teaching

  • SS 2024. B.A. Seminar “Theories and Applications of Second Language Learning Research”, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Cologne, Germany.
  • WS 2021/22. M.A. Seminar “Laboratory Phonology”, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Cologne, Germany.
  • SS 2021. B.A. Seminar “The Phonetics of Second Language Learning”, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Cologne, Germany.
  • SS 2018. M.A. Seminar “Applied Linguistics”, Department of Humanities, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Italy.

Awards

  • 2024, IPA PhD Thesis award for the best PhD Thesis in the broad area of Phonetics, Speech Sciences, and Laboratory Phonology.
  • 2022, "Franco Ferrero Award" author of the best article – Studi AISV series (cf. 18th AISV 2022 Conference, Naples).
  • 2022, One-year scholarship by Mercator institute at the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for Humanities, Cologne.
  • 2022, Travel Award (awarded by conference organisers), Speech Prosody
  • 2021-2022, IPA Student Awards, International Phonetic Association
  • 2021, ISCA Student Travel Grant, International Speech Communication Association
  • 2019-2020-2021-2023, CCLS Travel grants for conference attendances
  • 2019, DAAD Research Grants – One-Year Grant (unable to accept owing to concurrent a.r.t.e.s. scholarship).
  • 2019, a.r.t.e.s. Integrated Track scholarship.
  • 2018, a.r.t.e.s. “Predoc” scholarship.
  • 2017, Scholarship “Erasmus Traineeship” for “Dante Alighieri” Institute, Seville, Spain.
  • 2016, Erasmus+ scholarship for exchange semester at University of Cologne, Germany.
  • 2015, Erasmus+ scholarship for exchange semester at University of Cologne, Germany.

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