APTIL 3
Certificate Course in Articulatory Phonetics, Tones and Immersive Language-learning
APTIL 3 (Articulatory Phonetics, Tones and Immersive Language-learning) is an intensive, on-site certificate programme for anyone with a genuine passion for language. Over the duration of the course, you will build a rigorous foundation in articulatory phonetics (how speech sounds are produced and transcribed), develop a trained ear for tone and its role in meaning, and discover what it actually feels like to acquire an unfamiliar language through immersion rather than textbooks.
Now in its third year, NEILAC’s flagship course returns after two successful iterations with fresh energy and newly developed course material drawn directly from the languages of Northeast India, bringing the classroom closer than ever to the living linguistic reality of the region.
The course is as practical as it is theoretical. You will not simply study languages from a distance. You will get inside them.
Northeast India’s extraordinary linguistic diversity is both the backdrop and the heartbeat of APTIL 3. Whether you are a student, an early-career researcher, an educator or a community language worker, you will leave with skills you can put to immediate use, whether in the field, in the classroom or in further academic study.
Places are limited and are awarded through an application and interview process, ensuring a cohort that is motivated, well-matched and ready to make the most of a genuinely transformative experience
- Recognition and production of sounds of any language
- Developing ability to hear, recognise and produce tones accurately
- The art of consistent phonetic, phonemic and tone transcription
- Foundational skills in learning a new, unwritten language through community insertion and without the help of textbooks and written grammar
- The art of reflexivity, writing systematic fieldnotes and community-centred linguistic work
- Course dates: 09 – 29 July 2026.
- Application Deadline: 05 June
- Interview notice: by 8 June
- Interviews: 9-11 June
- Announcement of selected candidates: 12 June 2026.
- Duration: 21 days.
- Intake Capacity: 12.
- Eligibility: UG/PG/PhD (Preference will be given to those learning or working with North East Indian languages, especially those in need of documentation and revitalisation).
- Mode: in-person.
- Medium of Instruction: English.
- Examination: Theory and Practical, with a certificate upon successful completion.
Attendance: Participants are required to attend all classes and practical sessions to successfully complete the course.
Module 1: Articulatory Phonetics and Ear training.
An intensive, practice-driven module drawing on sounds from across Northeast India’s languages, designed to expand participants’ phonetic repertoire from the most basic to the most demanding.
Do you want to learn about the fascinating sounds of NEI languages, like the voiced uvular fricative [ɣ], retroflex affricates [ʈʂ, ɖʐ], palatalised uvular trill [ʀj], voiceless nasal [m̥, n̥], close front unrounded vowel [y]? Then this course is for you.
Module Content
- Mechanisms of speech production
- Theoretical grounding in articulatory phonetics
- Accurate transcription using IPA
- Intensive ear training with lots of practical exercises
- Training in sounds of NEI languages with our new coursebook ‘Articulatory Phonetics: A Practical Guide‘ and audio resources.
Module 2: Tone
An in-depth study of how tone is produced, perceived, and encodes meaning with particular focus on the tonal complexity of Northeast Indian languages.
Are you wondering how the rising, falling and level tones actually sound in real languages of NEI? Are you bewildered when tones keep changing in different contexts? Come and train with us to understand the nuts and bolts of tone analysis.
Module Content
- Ear Training: Intensive practical training in “hearing” tones accurately
- Learning how to produce and transcribe tones
- Practical exercises using our new coursebook ‘Manual of Tones‘ and audio resources based on different NEI languages
Module 3: Language Learning Methodology
Learning the language they study gives linguists unique insights and deeper community bonds. Yet, for most, learning a language feels more intimidating than linguistic analysis, especially one with little or no written tradition.
This module guides those who want to acquire languages the natural way: through respectful community immersion and real communicative interaction, rather than textbooks and grammars.
Module Content
- Language learning through cultural immersion
- Challenges of learning a new language as adults
- Participatory Learning & Action Continuum (PLAC): Entering another culture as a learner with respect, sensitivity and resourcefulness
- Acquiring vocabulary and sentence structure: What to look for and how to obtain it
- Practicals: Students will apply the methods taught by learning a ‘sample’ language with the help of a native speaker consultant.
Course Faculty
1. Dr Vijay D’Souza
Tones · Phonetics · Immersive Language-learning
2. Dr Prarthana Acharyya
Articulatory Phonetics & Ear Training
3. Dr I D Raguibou
Tone: Perception & Production
4. Gisel Erumachadathu
Immersive Language-learning, Participatory Learning and Action Continuum (PLAC)
Course Fee (Non-refundable)
Fee for Students:
- Without accommodation: ₹4,000 (Course fee only)
- With accommodation: ₹12,000 (₹400/day for food & accommodation + ₹4,000 course fee)
- With scholarship (4 seats only): ₹7,500 (₹250/day for accommodation + ₹2,500 course fee)
For Others:
- Without accommodation: ₹5,000 (Course fee only)
- With accommodation: ₹19,000 (₹700/day for food & accommodation + ₹5,000 course fee)
Important Notes:
- Accommodation will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis in the order of online registration after the selection interview.
- Accommodation fee includes meals and is charged for 20 days only.