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The nasal sound stumps many second language learners. A UGA researcher wants to change that.

Two people sit at a table reviewing a laptop, with one person pointing at the screen while the other holds a microphone.
Emma Auer
/
WUGA
Dr. Madeline Gilbert demonstrates how to use the nasometer with UGA student Danna Cervera in the linguistics lab.

A lot of people want to learn another language, but many stop short, worried about nailing the accent. And for languages like French and Portuguese, there’s a particular obstacle: the nasal sound.

As WUGA’s Emma Auer reports, language instructors at the University of Georgia are developing a tool to help students not only master that linguistic challenge, but approach learning another language with confidence.

Emma Auer is an award-winning reporter who joined WUGA as a full-time producer in 2024. She is also a graduate student in UGA's Romance Languages Department, studying French and Spanish. She covers the breadth of Northeast Georgia stories, from Athens City Hall to Winterville farmers' markets. Emma's work has also been heard on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
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