Allison Louise Wetterlin

Professor Institutt for fremmedspråk og oversetting

E-post: allison.wetterlin@uia.no
Telefon: +47 38 14 19 62
Kontor: E1076 (Universitetsveien 25, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway)

Pressebilde Last ned visittkort

Bakgrunn og erfaring

2016 - Professor ved Universitetet i Agder
2015-2016 Førsteamanuensis ved Universitetet i Agder
2015-2021 Associated researcher, Faculty of Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics, University of Oxford, UK
2011-2015 Postdoctoral research fellow, Faculty of Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics, University of Oxford, UK
2010-2011 Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Linguistics, University of Konstanz, Germany
2009-2010 Postdoctoral research fellow, Faculty of Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics, University of Oxford, UK
2007-2008 Postdoctoral research fellow, Fachbereich Sprachwissenschaft, Universität Konstanz, Tyskland
2001-2007 Research assistant SFB-project 471 (Sonderforschungsbereich): ‘Variation und Entwicklung im Lexicon’ (Variation and change in the lexicon), Department of Linguistics, Universität Konstanz, Tyskland
1996-2001 Oversetter ved Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach, Allensbach. Tyskland

Ansvarsområder

Jeg er professor i språkvitenskap ved Institutt for fremmedspråk og oversetting ved Universitetet i Agder. Jeg leder forskningsgruppen Eksperimentell lingvistikk sammen med Linda Wheeldon og den tilhørende Laboratorium for eksperimentell lingvistikk (ELL) og er studieprogramleder for masterprogrammet i engelsk.

Undervisning

Jeg underviser i fonologi, fonetikk, språkhistorie og eksperimentell lingvistikk både på BA- og MA- nivå i engelsk, og veileder studenter på BA-, MA- og PhD-nivå.

Forskning

Forskningen min er hovedsakelig orientert mot å finne ut hvordan språk er representert i hjernen, hvordan språkprosesser foregår, og hvordan vi klarer å forstå språk med alle dets variasjoner. Som teoretisk fonolog arbeider jeg med psykolingvistiske og nevrolingvistiske metoder. Jeg er også interessert i hvordan et språk kan endre seg over tid, hvorfor det endrer seg, og hvorfor en kan se ulike endringer i ulike språk, også når forutsetninger er de samme. Hvordan språk kan endre seg og også hvordan det ikke endrer seg, kan fortelle oss mye om språkegenskapene vi har i hjernen. Arbeidet mitt siden jeg kom til UiA har dreid seg om hvordan det er å ha flere språk i hjernen, og også om hva flerspråklighet betyr for aldringsprosessen.

Forskningsgrupper

Eksperimentell lingvistikk

Albrecht, Mikael André; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2026). Predicting Bilingual Performance: Effects of Subjective and Objective Measures of Bilingual Profile. International Journal of Bilingualism. ISSN 1367-0069. doi: 10.1177/13670069261486216. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Aims and objectives: This study seeks to test the inferential properties of self-reported measures of language profile on performance. We hypothesise that well-powered dimension reduction techniques (in this study, principal component analysis or PCA) will perform well in predictive performance on language processing tests. Method: The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire was administered to 262 Norwegian–English bilingual respondents. A subset of 64 participants also completed the following measures of individual differences: (a) LexTALE as a proficiency measure, (b) a morphosyntactic error judgement task, (c) two verbal fluency tasks (semantic and phonemic), (d) a non-linguistic task-switching measure of domain-general executive control. Data and Analyses: The sample size permitted a well-powered PCA of 26 variables, identifying seven principal components: (a) English Use, (b) English Later AoA, (c) English Learning and Proficiency, (d) English Media Exposure, (e) Foreign Pronunciation in English, (f) Language Mixing and (g) Overall Language Proficiency. Scores were extracted for the subset of 64 participants, and regression analyses were conducted for each objective task using the self-report-based component scores as predictors. All components predicted performance on at least one task, except for English Later AoA and English Media Exposure. These results demonstrate consistent relationships between self-reported and behavioural measures and underscore the utility of PCA component loadings as inferential predictors in bilingualism research. Originality: The study shows clear and sensible relationships between subjective measures and performance even following dimension reduction. The study highlights the importance of individual differences and lends further credence to the use of self-reported measures for bilingual research. Significance/Implications: Given the variability across bilingual populations, we advocate for the broader inferential use of self-reported measures and application of PCA in multilingual research to better capture the underlying dimensions of language experience and proficiency and their predictive abilities.
Prystauka, Yanina; Rahman, Foyzul; Busby, Natalie; Roeser, Jens; Boraxbekk, Carl-Johan & Feron, Jack [Vis alle 11 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2025). Assessing the Utility of Predicted Brain Age for Explaining Variability in Language Abilities in Healthy Older Adults. Neurobiology of Language (NoL). 6. doi: 10.1162/nol.a.21. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
We investigated whether the difference between chronological and modeled brain age explains individual differences in language performance among healthy older adults. Age-related decline in language abilities is widely documented, with considerable variability among healthy older individuals in both language performance and underlying neural substrate. We derived predicted brain age from grey and white matter using machine learning and used this measure to estimate neurological deviations from chronological age. Using Bayesian mixed-effects modeling, we tested whether brain-age deviations predict language performance in a sample of 86 adults aged 60 years and above. We assessed the effect of brain-age deviations on performance across four well-established language processing tasks, each tapping into linguistic domains known to be vulnerable to ageing and show individual variability in skill levels, in both comprehension and production. Our findings suggest that, in healthy older individuals, predicted deviations of brain age from chronological age do not predict language abilities. This challenges the idea that brain age is a reliable determinant of language processing variability, at least in healthy (as opposed to pathological) ageing and highlights the need to consider other neural and cognitive factors when studying language decline.
Rahman, Foyzul; Tsvetanov, Kamen A.; Feron, Jack; Mullinger, Karen; Joyce, Kelsey & Gilani, Ahmed [Vis alle 11 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2025). Explaining tip-of-the-tongue experiences in older adults: The role of brain-based and cardiorespiratory fitness factors. Neurobiology of Aging. ISSN 0197-4580. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.06.008. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Fosstveit, Sindre Herskedal; Feron, Jack; Rahman, Foyzul; Lucas, Samuel J.E. & Lohne-Seiler, Hilde [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Effects of increasing fitness through exercise training on language comprehension in monolingual and bilingual older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition. ISSN 1382-5585. 32(4), s. 485–517. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2024.2435914. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Exercise training has been proposed to counteract age-related cognitive decline through improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF hypothesis). Research has focused on cognitive domains like attention and processing speed, and one cross-sectional study reported a positive relationship between CRF and language production in older adults. In a randomized controlled trial, we investigated whether these benefits could extend to language comprehension in healthy older adults, and whether bilinguals, for whom language processing is more costly, would exhibit greater benefits than monolinguals. Eighty older English monolinguals and 80 older Norwegian-English bilinguals were randomized into either a 6-month exercise training group or into a passive control group. We assessed CRF (VO2peak) and language comprehension (reaction times to spoken word monitoring) in first (L1, all participants) and second language (L2, bilinguals only), before and after the intervention. We found that monolinguals in the exercise group (compared to the control group) were faster in comprehension following the intervention. Moreover, this effect was mediated by exercise-induced increases in VO2peak, supporting the CRF hypothesis. This extends previous cross-sectional research and establishes a causal link between exercise training and speeded comprehension in older monolinguals. However, despite inducing increased VO2peak, exercise training did not affect bilingual (L1 or L2) comprehension, and bilinguals in both groups were slower after the intervention period. Exploratory analyses suggested that this slowing may be driven by participants with low L2 proficiency, but further research is needed to examine whether bilingual language processing is in fact unaffected by exercise training and its consequent improvements in CRF.
Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Segaert, Katrien; Rahman, Foyzul; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2024). Bilingualism and ageing independently impact on language processing: evidence from comprehension and production. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. ISSN 1366-7289. doi: 10.1017/S1366728924000245. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Markiewicz, Roksana; Rahman, Foyzul; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Limachya, Rupali; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Effects of healthy ageing and bilingualism on attention networks. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. ISSN 1366-7289. s. 1–14. doi: 10.1017/S1366728924000154. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Pélissier, Maud; Haugland, Dag; Urland, Beatrice Zitong; Wetterlin, Allison Louise; Wheeldon, Linda Ruth & Frisson, Steven (2023). Competition between form-related words in bilingual sentence reading: Effects of language proficiency. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. ISSN 1366-7289. doi: 10.1017/S1366728922000529. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Crowhurst, Megan J.; Faircloth, Laura R.; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2022). “Natural” stress patterns and dependencies between edge alignment and quantity sensitivity. Phonological Data & Analysis (PDA). 4(6), s. 1–35. doi: 10.3765/pda.v4art6.65. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
We conducted an artificial language learning experiment to study learning asymmetries that might reveal latent preferences relating to, and any dependencies between, the edge alignment and quantity sensitivity (QS) parameters in stress patterning. We used a poverty of the stimulus approach to teach American English speakers an unbounded QS stress rule (stress a single CV: syllable) and either a left- or right-aligning QI rule if only light syllables were present. Forms with two CV: syllables were withheld in the learning phase and added in the test phase, forcing participants to choose between left- and right-aligning options for the QS rule. Participants learned the left- and right-edge QI rules equally well, and also the basic QS rule. Response patterns for words with two CV: syllables suggest biases favoring a left-aligning QS rule with a left-edge QI default. Our results also suggest that a left-aligning QS pattern with a rightedge QI default was least favored. We argue that stress patterns shown to be preferred based on evidence from ease-of-learning and participants’ untrained generalizations can be considered more natural than less favored opposing patterns. We suggest that cognitive biases revealed by artificial stress learning studies may have contributed to shaping stress typology.
Kotzor, Sandra; Wetterlin, Allison Louise; Roberts, Adam Charles; Reetz, Henning & Lahiri, Aditi (2022). Bengali nasal vowels: Lexical representation and listener perception. Phonetica: International Journal of Phonetic Science. ISSN 0031-8388. 79(2), s. 115–150. doi: 10.1515/phon-2022-2017. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
This paper focuses on the question of the representation of nasality as well as speakers’ awareness and perceptual use of phonetic nasalisation by examining surface nasalisation in two types of vowels in Bengali: underlying nasal vowels (CṼC) and nasalised vowels before a nasal consonant (CVN). A series of three cross-modal forced-choice experiments was used to investigate the hypothesis that only unpredictable nasalisation is stored and that this sparse representation governs how listeners interpret vowel nasality. Visual full-word targets were preceded by auditory primes consisting of CV segments of CVC words with nasal vowels ([tʃɑ̃] for [tʃɑ̃d] ‘moon’), oral vowels ([tʃɑ] for [tʃɑl] ‘unboiled rice’) or nasalised oral vowels ([tʃɑ̃(n)] for [tʃɑ̃n] ‘bath’) and reaction times and errors were measured. Some targets fully matched the prime while some matched surface or underlying representation only. Faster reaction times and fewer errors were observed after CṼC primes compared to both CVC and CVN primes. Furthermore, any surface nasality was most frequently matched to a CṼC target unless no such target was available. Both reaction times and error data indicate that nasal vowels are specified for nasality leading to faster recognition compared to underspecified oral vowels, which cannot be perfectly matched with incoming signals.
Pélissier, Maud; Haugland, Dag Magne; Handeland, Bjørn Harald; Urland, Beatrice Zitong; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2022). Competition between form-related words in bilingual sentence reading: Effects of language proficiency. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. ISSN 1366-7289. 26(2), s. 384–401. doi: 10.1017/S1366728922000529. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Sentence reading involves constant competition between lexical candidates. Previous research with monolinguals has shown that the neighbours of a read word are inhibited, making their retrieval as a subsequent target more difficult, but the duration of this interference may depend on reading skills. In this study, we examined neighbour priming effects in sentence reading among proficient Norwegian–English bilinguals reading in their L2. We investigated the effects of the distance between prime and target (short vs. long) and the nature of the overlap between the two words (beginning or end), and related these to differences in individual cognitive skills. Our results replicated the inhibition effects found in monolinguals, albeit slightly delayed. Interference between form-related words was affected by the L2 reading skills and, crucially, by the phonological decoding abilities of the bilingual reader. We discuss the results in light of competition models of bilingual reading as well as episodic memory accounts.
Althaus, Nadja; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Lahiri, Aditi (2021). Features of low functional load in mono- and bilinguals’ lexical access: evidence from Swedish tonal accent. Phonetica: International Journal of Phonetic Science. ISSN 0031-8388. 78(3), s. 175–199. doi: 10.1515/phon-2021-2002. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Kotzor, Sandra; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Lahiri, Aditi (2017). Bengali geminates: Processing and representation. I Kubozono, Haruo (Red.), The Phonetics and Phonology of Geminate Consonants.. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780198754930. s. 187–203. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198754930.003.0009. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Ehrenhofer, Lara; Roberts, Adam C.; Kotzor, Sandra; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Lahiri, Aditi (2017). Asymmetric processing of consonant duration in Swiss German. I Kubozono, Haruo (Red.), The Phonetics and Phonology of Geminate Consonants.. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780198754930. s. 204–229. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198754930.003.0010. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Kotzor, Sandra; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Lahiri, Aditi (2017). Symmetry or asymmetry: Evidence for underspecification in the mental lexicon. I Lahiri, Aditi & Kotzor, Sandra (Red.), The Speech Processing Lexicon. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 9783110425734. s. 85–106. doi: 10.1515/9783110422658-005. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Kotzor, Sandra; Wetterlin, Allison Louise; Roberts, Adam C. & Lahiri, Aditi (2016). Processing of Phonemic Consonant Length: Semantic and Fragment Priming Evidence from Bengali. Language and Speech. ISSN 0023-8309. 59(1), s. 83–112. doi: 10.1177/0023830915580189. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Lahiri, Aditi (2015). The diachronic development of stød and tonal accent in North Germanic, Historical Linguistics 2013. John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISSN 9789027248534. s. 53–67. doi: 10.1075/cilt.334.04wet. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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Albrecht, Mikael André; Segaert, Katrien; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2025). Fluency and complexity in speech production: effects of healthy ageing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Fosstveit, Sindre Herskedal; Feron, Jack; Rahman, Foyzul; Lucas, Samuel J.E. & Lohne-Seiler, Hilde [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Exercise training speeds language comprehension for monolingual but not bilingual older adults: evidence from a randomised controlled trial. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Prystauka, Yanina; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Rahman, Foyzul; Feron, Jack; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes & Wetterlin, Allison Louise [Vis alle 9 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Does regular physical exercise mitigate age-related decline in word production? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Rahman, Foyzul; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Feron, Jack; Mullinger, Karen; Joyce, Kelsey & Gilani, Ahmed [Vis alle 14 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Explaining age-related word-finding failures using neural and lifestyle measures, and the effect of an exercise intervention and bilingualism on non-linguistic cognitive function. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Prystauka, Yanina; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Rahman, Foyzel; Feron, Jack; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes & Wetterlin, Allison Louise [Vis alle 9 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Exploring language behavior as a function of predicted brain age and physical exercise intervention in a cohort of older adults. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Fosstveit, Sindre Herskedal; Feron, Jack; Rahman, Foyzul; Lucas, Samuel J.E. & Lohne-Seiler, Hilde [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Effects of exercise training on language comprehension in monolingual and bilingual older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Prystauka, Yanina; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Rahman, Foyzul; Feron, Jack; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes & Wetterlin, Allison Louise [Vis alle 9 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Exploring language behavior as a function of predicted brain age and physical exercise intervention. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Albrecht, Mikael André; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2024). Producing cognate picture names: Effects of bilingual profile, proficiency, and cross-linguistic overlap. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Albrecht, Mikael André; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2024). Language similarity in bilingual word retrieval: effects of individual differences in L2 proficiency and inhibitory control. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Prystauka, Yanina; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Rahman, Foyzul; Feron, Jack; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes & Wetterlin, Allison Louise [Vis alle 9 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Does regular physical exercise mitigate the effects of aging on word production? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Segaert, Katrien; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Feron, Jack; Joyce, Kelsey; Gilani, Ahmed & Fernandes, Eunice Gomes [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2023). Neural and Cardiovascular Determinants of Tip-of-The-Tongue States in Healthy Ageing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Markiewicz, Roksana; Rahman, F.; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Wetterlin, Allison Louise; Wheeldon, Linda Ruth & Segaert, Katrien (2023). Effects of both ageing and bilingualism on attention and executive functions. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Rahman, Foyzul; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Feron, Jack; Joyce, Kelsey; Gilani, Ahmed & Fernandes, Eunice Gomes [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2023). Neural and Cardiovascular Determinants of Tip-of-The-Tongue States in Healthy Ageing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Albrecht, Mikael André; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2023). Bilingual Sentence Planning: Linguistic and Cognitive Effects on Grammatical Planning Scope. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Albrecht, Mikael André; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2023). Bilingual Sentence Planning: Linguistic and Cognitive Effects on Grammatical Planning Scope. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Markiewicz, R.; Rahman, F.; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Limachya, Rupali; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2023). Effects of both ageing and bilingualism on attention and executive functions. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Albrecht, Mikael André; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2023). What the Eyes Reveal about Planning Scope and Cognitive Load in Bilingual Sentence Production. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Segaert, Katrien; Segaert, K.; Rahman, F.; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2023). Independent effects of ageing and bilingualism on language processing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Rahman, F.; Tsvetanov, Kamen; Feron, Jack; Joyce, Kelsey; Gilani, Ahmed & Fernandes, Eunice Gomes [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2023). Neural and Cardiovascular Determinants of Tip-of-The-Tongue States in Healthy Ageing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Markiewicz, Roksana; Rahman, Foyzul; Fernandes, Eunice Gomes; Wetterlin, Allison Louise; Wheeldon, Linda Ruth & Segaert, Katrien (2023). Effects of both ageing and bilingualism on attention and executive functions. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Mangersnes, Malin Toften; Wetterlin, Allison Louise & Wheeldon, Linda Ruth (2019). Bilingual language control and articulation - Relating articulatory measures and self-reported proficiency to language switching behaviour. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Wetterlin, Allison Louise; Roberts, Adam C.; kotzor, sandra & Lahiri, Aditi (2016). Linguistic Length: Evidence from Bengali and English. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA

Publisert 16. apr. 2024 11:39 - Sist endret 13. mars 2025 09:05