iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The only time a side hustle becomes too interesting to resist is when you have other urgent&important things to do. So here we go, I added badges, even changed the colours, and created a hex sticker for it.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Now on CRAN! 📦✨ rhythm.metrics can now be installed directly from R (install.packages("rhythm.metrics")). cran.r-project.org/web/packages... It is relatively simple (because it was originally built for a small paper), but more useful features will be added in the future. Suggestions welcome!

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

When I presented at the Open Research Award event in 2024, I used "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead." to explain why Big Team Science is a good practice for open science. I still think it's the most concise way to explain it; here's a much longer version outlining the good and the bad

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

A ChatGPT generated little poster. Pretty cool!

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

🎉 New paper! Integrating human linguistic insights into AI: theory-driven representation for multilingual TTS www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi... The text in the last picture is all mine -- I just had way too much to say for a Bluesky thread. 😅

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

- What is the biggest challenge in your experience when it comes to managing a project in academia - If you’re not in academia, have you worked with academics - How do you think about their management styles - What strategies have you seen that actually work #ManyLanguagesChallengeOfTheMonth#

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Does anyone have lexical tone data (audio files or csv files of the contours such as f0 extracted every 10ms or every 10%) that you can share or know any published dataset like this? I'm testing the feasibility of a tool and it would be nice if there are data that are not from the Chinese varieties.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The event will start with a networking lunch followed by presentations on ongoing projects in this area and then a discussion, with the opportunity to feed into planned projects.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The aim is to bring together researchers from various disciplines who are interested in exploring how accent shapes individuals’ experiences in education, employment, and everyday life and the impact this may have on their sense of identity, fairness, belonging and success.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The Phonetics and Phonology Research Group at Newcastle University @phonncl.bsky.social is hosting a workshop on “𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬” on 24 June 2026, 12-4pm. FREEEE! Register by 12pm Friday 20th: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/ZkdQ2xe0sE

forms.cloud.microsoft

Microsoft Forms

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Thanks Ben! Yeah I didn't even know you could be both the last author and the first author at the same time until today! I wanted to report the contributions faithfully, but also really didn't want to look like a desperate PI who's stealing credit from a PhD collaborator...

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Is it weird if the corresponding author (the fourth and last author) shares first authorship with the first author? The journal asks us to mark equal contributions. The honestly answer is we more or less did contribute equally. Is this a normal thing or does it look odd?

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Also - each conference paper opportunity is SOLD at whatever the astonishing full registration fee is -- if you want to publish two papers, BUY two opportunities. But don't forget you really should review for free.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

@yanyuniverse.bsky.social gave a great presentation on our gamification paper at the Games Studies Network! We'll record her presentation next time so we can share it more widely!

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Should have reposted this one instead bsky.app/profile/many...

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

This month’s #ManyLanguagesChallengeOfTheMonth focuses on gamification in linguistic data collection. Gamifying data collection in linguistics has many benefits.

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Now it's time to think about the downside (if there's any)-- would there be a culture that does not see, say, leaderboard, as appropriate, or consider gamification too gambling-like? This is an interesting question and we really hope to hear views about it.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

And the number of times I failed to concentrate on those questions.... I can only say I apologised many times to the researchers and couldn't help thinking'oh no I'll be that crazy outlier that gets excluded'. Well maybe everyone's mind starts to wander after 10 mins of monotonous button pressing...

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Personally I find making data collection process more fun really important because I have a painfully short attention span. When I was a student, I used to go to different departments to participate in experiments, just to see what experiments were like in other disciplines.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Having worked on this topic for so long, I so firmly believe in gamified methods -- by using just a few simple 'fun' elements (as mentioned in the paper), it felt so much easier to go through the experiment (also see paper for benefits -- I even calculated how much less money you need 😂).

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The paper only shows a pilot version of the game, the real game used in our knowledge exchange events (reported by media like BBC *pound face*) was much nicer looking and 'gamier' 🎮. congzhang-linguist.github.io/project/gami...

congzhang-linguist.github.io

Gamification | Dr. Cong Zhang

Making data collection more fun<br><br><br><br>

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The sociophonetic experiment asks a very interesting question that many people are interested in -- North East locals think they can tell the differences between accents WITHIN the region (e.g. Gateshead Vs Newcastle), but is it really the case? 😜

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Our work on gamification in phonetic perception data collection has been accepted. We used a sociophonetic experiment to showcase the workflow and feasibility of using gamified approaches. congzhang-linguist.github.io/assets/pdf/L...

congzhang-linguist.github.io

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I found that in my DPhil thesis on Tianjin Mandarin too (not the main finding but quite interesting to me) -- whenever people heard mà ('what'), they think it's a question regardless of the intonation and what the character is.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

The thing I find most interesting is that whenever listeners hear the question word, they disregard the intonation and interpret it as a question.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

IPA's Got Talent. I wonder which one will win 🤔

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

No, it's a fixed order. I was worried if it changes every time, students would panic during exams. It's actually not even randomised -- the ones that look alike are grouped together. They're just not grouped by their places/manners/etc. Can't think of a good description, or a cool name for it😂

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

I made an IPA keyboard which does not show the three-term labels or arrange the symbols according to the IPA chart. This is mainly for digital phonetics exams or studying for exams. For anyone who needs a keyboard that doesn't reveal all the answers: congzhang365.github.io/IPA_keyboard/

congzhang365.github.io

IPA Keyboard | Randomised IPA Input Tool

A clean, exam‑ready IPA keyboard with randomised symbols and no labels. Ideal for phonetics students and lecturers.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Yaaaayyy! Also really nice to learn this on social media first before opening my inbox 😝

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

The recently accepted ManyLanguages project CLAPS - A Crosslinguistic Approach to Passive Semantics led by @ambridge.bsky.social is looking to fill four key leadership roles (Analysis Lead, Scaling Coordinator, Translation Coordinator, Ethics Coordinator). ⏰Deadline: 30th Jan.

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ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

🔔Today🕒 14:30–14:55 UTC 🔔at the BTS conference 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬: 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 📹Zoom link: us06web.zoom.us/j/8288025439...

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ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

🔔Today🕒 17:30–18:25 UTC 🔔at the BTS conference [𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧] 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞, 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 – 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐗 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 📹Zoom link: stanford.zoom.us/j/9171930450...

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

The ManyTones project is looking for several lead positions. See poster for details. 📢📣✨ Get involved! 🎉🤝🌟

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

@ambridge.bsky.social is currently working on a ManyLanguages proposal on "Semantic Affectedness as a Universal of Passive Constructions”. Methodological details depend on the target languages, so Ben has asked us to help find experts. Get in touch with Ben if you would like to be involved 🤓

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

After our successful workshop at PaPE, we are calling for a special issue on *Prosody in Languages of the Middle East* for the new *Journal of Connected Speech*. Please check the link for details: linguistlist.org/issues/36/20...

linguistlist.org

LINGUIST List 36.2044 Calls: Journal of Connected Speech - "Special Issue: Prosody in Languages of the Middle East" (Jrnl)

The LINGUIST List, International Linguistics Community Online.

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

My PhD student Melissa's first poster!

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ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Good morning/afternoon/evening/night everyone! Here's a little update on our Big Team Science paper titled 'Big Team Science for language science: Opportunities and Challenges': it has been accepted (pending minor corrections) by *Linguistics* (the journal)🎉. Preprint: osf.io/3pkj6

osf.io

OSF

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Yeah, mine was like that. I wanted to book a hotel and I had to email the agency. They didn't respond for three days and of course the room was gone. Then I proposed a second one, a third one. Ended up spending almost doubled the amount. And it involved multiple people's time too. I just can't...

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

No loss of sanity? Not approved. (Our travel has to go through a slow and expensive agent so I totally feel your pain)

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

Rory Turnbull @roryturnbull.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Come to Glasgow on May 28 for Phon-UP 3 (Phonetics/Phonology Unconference on Pedagogy)! Attendance is free. Please repost for reach! blogs.ncl.ac.uk/phon-up/

blogs.ncl.ac.uk

Phon-UP | Phonetics/Phonology Unconference on Pedagogy

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Reposted by Dr. Cong Zhang

ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

🚨 2nd Call for Proposals is NOW OPEN! We're inviting submissions of a 2-page Expression of Interest by May 31, 2025 🗓️ 👉 Get all the details here: many-languages.com/studies.html

many-languages.com

Studies

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Andrea Howard @drandreahoward.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Oh I could talk about this all day. Here’s my biggest piece of advice: Create a very short “screener” survey (a pre-consent, pre-recruitment activity) where you ask about anything that would be relevant for eligibility and make at least one question a trap or attention check. 1/3

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Robin Meyer @rbnmyr.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

🚨 We are recruiting! 5-year post-doc in Computational Humanities at the University of Lausanne Working language: French Details: www.unil.ch/news/1743431... Deadline: 22 April 2025 I'm happy to (informally) answer any questions. Please share widely! 🙂

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Dr. Cong Zhang @congzhang.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Thanks for coming Stephen! It was so nice to see a familiar face there. And maybe we can write more papers together! 😉

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