Manager of RRU
Managers of RRU, General Linguistics and Phonetics

Professor
- Phonetics
- Centre for Languages and Literature
Manager of Research and Research Education
- General Linguistics
- Phonetics
- Centre for Languages and Literature
Contact information
E-mail mikael.rollling.luse
Phone +46 46 222 99 05
Mobile +46 46 222 99 05
Room SOL:H415b
Visiting address
Helgonabacken 12, Lund
Postal address
Box 201, 221 00 Lund
Internal post code 20
I investigate how the brain processes speech (neurolinguistics). I lead projects with a consolidation grant from VR and grants from KAW and MAW, using high resolution magnetic resonanance imaging (MRI) to explore to what extent speech perception can be integrated into general auditory perception. As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow and in a project from MAW, I have also lead the work of tracing how speech melody is used to predict and facilitate processing of grammatical structure. Aids have also been developed for second language learning of the speech melody-grammar association.
I have previously led a research project exploring how time-based decay of word forms in short-term memory influence sentence processing. I have also used Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) to investigate how words’ degree of abstractness affect associations in speakers with Broca’s aphasia.
Research
My profile in Lund University research portal
- A dual complexity gradient theory of speech processing in the brain (research leader)
- The cortical hierarchy of native phonological proficiency (research leader)
- Abstract, emotional and concrete words in the mental lexicon
- Images of tones: fMRI-studies on the processing of prosody in the human brain
- The role of function words in spontaneous speech processing
- Grammar, Prosody, Discourse and the Brain. ERP-studies of Language Processing
- Humanities and Medicine (HuMe)
- HuMeNS - Advanced Study Group on the neuroscience of knowledge acquisition
- Neurophysiology of syntactic processing and timing constraints on working memory (research leader)
- Neurophysiological studies in language processing
- The language melody game (LMG): Learning Swedish word accents using IT and digital media (research leader)
- Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning
- Tone-Grammar Interaction in the Human Brain: Mechanisms and Applications (research leader)
Books (1)
Editorships (5)
- Hjortdal, A. & Roll, M. (2021). (Eds.) Proceedings of Fonetik 2021 : Lund, June 8–9, 2021. Lund Working Papers in Linguistics, 56. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University.
- Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2015). (Eds.) Nordic Journal of Linguistics/Special Issue. Nordic Journal of Linguistics, 38. Cambridge University Press.
- Horne, M., Lindgren, M., Nilsson, M., Roll, M., Shtyrov, Y., Ståhlberg, F. & Topgaard, D. (2015). (Eds.) Microstructures of Learning : Novel methods and approaches for assessing structural and functional changes underlying knowledge acquisition in the brain. Neuroscience. Frontiers Media S. A..
- Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2010). (Eds.) Words and their meaning: a deep delve from surface distribution into underlying neural representation. The Mental Lexicon, 5. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Alter, K., Horne, M., Lindgren, M., Roll, M. & von Koss Torkildsen, J. (2009). (Eds.) Brain Talk : discourse with and in the brain : papers from the first Birgit Rausing Language Program Conference in Linguistics, Lund, June 2008. Birgit Rausing Language Program Conference in Linguistics, 1.
Articles (41)
- Gosselke Berthelsen, S., Horne, M., Shtyrov, Y. & Roll, M. (2022). Native language experience shapes pre-attentive foreign tone processing and guides rapid memory trace build-up : An ERP study. Psychophysiology, 59. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Hjortdal, A., Frid, J. & Roll, M. (2022). Phonetic and phonological cues to prediction : Neurophysiology of Danish stød. Journal of Phonetics, 94. Academic Press.
- Roll, M. (2022). The predictive function of Swedish word accents. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-11. Frontiers Media S. A..
- Gosselke Berthelsen, S., Horne, M., Shtyrov, Y. & Roll, M. (2021). Phonological transfer effects in novice learners : A learner's brain detects grammar errors only if the language sounds familiar. Bilingualism, 24, 656-669. Cambridge University Press.
- Novén, M., Olsson, H., Helms, G., Horne, M., Nilsson, M. & Roll, M. (2021). Cortical and white matter correlates of language-learning aptitudes. Human Brain Mapping, 42, 5037-5050. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Novén, M., Schremm, A., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2021). Cortical thickness and surface area of left anterior temporal areas affects processing of phonological cues to morphosyntax. Brain Research, 1750. Elsevier.
- Blomberg, F., Roll, M., Frid, J., Lindgren, M. & Horne, M. (2020). The role of affective meaning, semantic associates, and orthographic neighbours in modulating the N400 in single words. The Mental Lexicon, 15, 161-188. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Gosselke Berthelsen, S., Horne, M., Shtyrov, Y. & Roll, M. (2020). Different neural mechanisms for rapid acquisition of words with grammatical tone in learners from tonal and non-tonal backgrounds : ERP evidence. Brain Research, 1729. Elsevier.
- Hed, A., Schremm, A., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2019). Neural correlates of second language acquisition of tone-grammar associations. Mental Lexicon, 14, 98-123. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Novén, M., Schremm, A., Nilsson, M., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2019). Cortical thickness of Broca's area and right homologue is related to grammar learning aptitude and pitch discrimination proficiency. Brain and Language, 188, 42-47. Elsevier.
- Schremm, A., Novén, M., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2019). Brain responses to morphologically complex verbs : An electrophysiological study of Swedish regular and irregular past tense forms. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 51, 76-83. Elsevier.
- Gosselke Berthelsen, S., Horne, M., Brännström, J., Shtyrov, Y. & Roll, M. (2018). Neural processing of morphosyntactic tonal cues in second-language learners. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 45, 60-78. Elsevier.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M., Mannfolk, P., van Westen, D. & Roll, M. (2018). Rapid syntactic pre-activation in Broca’s area : Concurrent electrophysiological and haemodynamic recordings. Brain Research, 1697, 76-82. Elsevier.
- Schremm, A., Novén, M., Horne, M., Söderström, P., van Westen, D. & Roll, M. (2018). Cortical thickness of planum temporale and pars opercularis in native language tone processing. Brain and Language, 176, 42-47. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Söderström, P., Frid, J., Mannfolk, P. & Horne, M. (2017). Forehearing words : Pre-activation of word endings at word onset. Neuroscience Letters, 658, 57-61. Elsevier.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2017). Stem tones pre-activate suffixes in the brain. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 46, 271-280. Springer.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M., Mannfolk, P., van Westen, D. & Roll, M. (2017). Tone-grammar association within words : Concurrent ERP and fMRI show rapid neural pre-activation and involvement of left inferior frontal gyrus in pseudoword processing. Brain and Language, 174, 119-126. Elsevier.
- Schremm, A., Hed, A., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2017). Training predictive L2 processing with a digital game : prototype promotes acquisition of anticipatory use of tone-suffix associations. Computers & Education, 114, 206-221. Elsevier.
- Grönholm, E., Roll, M., Horne, M., Sundgren, P. & Lindgren, A. (2016). Predominance of caudate nucleus lesions in acute ischemic stroke patients with impairments in language and speech. European Journal of Neurology, 23, 148-153. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M., Frid, J. & Roll, M. (2016). Pre-activation negativity (PrAN) in brain potentials to unfolding words. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10. Frontiers Media S. A..
- Schremm, A., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2016). Time-Driven Effects on Processing Relative Clauses. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 45, 1033-1044. Springer.
- Schremm, A., Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2016). Implicit acquisition of tone-suffix connections in L2 learners of Swedish. The Mental Lexicon, 11, 55-75. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Blomberg, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Brännström, J. & Horne, M. (2015). Emotional arousal and lexical specificity modulate response times differently depending on ear of presentation in a dichotic listening task. The Mental Lexicon, 10, 221-246. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2015). Introduction: Prosody in the Nordic languages. Nordic Journal of Linguistics, 38, 111-113. Cambridge University Press.
- Roll, M. (2015). A neurolinguistic study of South Swedish word accents : Electrical brain potentials in nouns and verbs. Nordic Journal of Linguistics, 38, 149-162. Cambridge University Press.
- Roll, M., Söderström, P., Mannfolk, P., Shtyrov, Y., Johansson, M., van Westen, D. & Horne, M. (2015). Word tones cueing morphosyntactic structure: Neuroanatomical substrates and activation time-course assessed by EEG and fMRI. Brain and Language, 150, 14-21. Elsevier.
- Schremm, A., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2015). Brain responses to syntax constrained by time-driven implicit prosodic phrases. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 35, 68-84. Elsevier.
- Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Apt, P. & Horne, M. (2014). Sensory-specific anomic aphasia following left occipital lesions: Data from free oral descriptions of concrete word meanings. Neurocase, 20, 192-207. Taylor & Francis.
- Roll, M., Gosselke Berthelsen, S., Lindgren, M. & Horne, M. (2013). Time-driven effects on processing grammatical agreement. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. Frontiers Media S. A..
- Roll, M., Söderström, P. & Horne, M. (2013). Word-stem tones cue suffixes in the brain. Brain Research, 1520, 116-120. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Alter, K. & Horne, M. (2012). Time-driven effects on parsing during reading. Brain and Language, 121, 267-272. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Mårtensson, F., Sikström, S., Apt, P., Bååth, R. & Horne, M. (2012). Atypical associations to abstract words in Broca's aphasia. Cortex, 48, 1068-1072. Elsevier.
- Söderström, P., Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2012). Processing morphologically conditioned word accents. The Mental Lexicon, 7, 77-89. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Apt, P. & Horne, M. (2011). Modeling the meaning of words: Neural correlates of abstract and concrete noun processing. Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis, 71, 455-478. Polish Neuroscience Society - PTBUN, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology.
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2011). Interaction of right- and left-edge prosodic boundaries in syntactic parsing. Brain Research, 1402, 93-100. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Horne, M. & Lindgren, M. (2011). Activating without Inhibiting: Left-Edge Boundary Tones and Syntactic Processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 1170-1179. MIT Press.
- Roll, M., Horne, M. & Lindgren, M. (2010). Word accents and morphology - ERPs of Swedish word processing. Brain Research, 1330, 114-123. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Horne, M. & Lindgren, M. (2009). Left-edge boundary tone and main clause verb effects on syntactic processing in embedded clauses - An ERP study. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 22, 55-73. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Frid, J. & Horne, M. (2007). Measuring Syntactic Complexity in Spontaneous Spoken Swedish. Language and Speech, 50, 227-245. Kingston Press Ltd.
- Roll, M., Horne, M. & Lindgren, M. (2007). Object Shift and Event-Related Brain Potentials. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 20, 462-481. Elsevier.
- Roll, M., Frid, J. & Horne, M. (2005). Ett att kan betyda så mycket. Språkvård, 3, 27-31. Språkrådet.
Book chapters (4)
- Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2019). Swedish word accents, intonation and L2 English : Aligning tonal, metrical and morphosyntactic structure during L2 processing. In Hognestad, J. K. (Ed.) Fonologi, sosiolingvistikk og vitenskapsteori : Festskrift til Gjert Kristoffersen (pp. 143-159). Novus Forlag.
- Roll, M. (2017). Höra i förtid : Hur hjärnan föraktiverar orden innan vi hör dem. In Rahm, H. (Ed.) Årsbok, Vetenskapssocieteten i Lund. Årsbok 2017 (pp. 153-161). Vetenskapssocieteten i Lund.
- Johansson, V., Andersson, A., Horne, M., Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Strandviken, T. & Sayehli, S. (2013). Språk och hjärna. In Johansson, V., Carling, G. & Holmer, A. (Eds.) Språket, människan och världen : människans språk 1-2 (pp. 225-241). Studentlitteratur AB.
- Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2012). Swedish as a [+Continuity] language : left-edge prosody and right-edge morphosyntax. In Brandtler, J., Håkansson, D., Huber, S. & Klingvall, E. (Eds.) Discourse and grammar : a festschrift in honor of Valéria Molnár (pp. 333-341). Lund University (Media-Tryck).
Prefaces (1)
Conference contributions (44)
- Kochančikaitė, R. & Roll, M. (accepted/in press). Phonetic and Phonological Variation in Vowel Discrimination Performance : Effect of Swedish Vowel Categories and Dialects. Phonetic Experimental Research at the Institute of Linguistics (PERILUS), Proceedings of Fonetik 2022 : Fonetik 2022 - the XXXIIIrd Swedish Phonetics Conference. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
- Lulaci, T., Tronnier, M., Söderström, P. & Roll, M. (accepted/in press). The time course of onset CV coarticulation. Phonetic Experimental Research at the Institute of Linguistics (PERILUS), Proceedings of Fonetik 2022 : Fonetik 2022 - the XXXIIIrd Swedish Phonetics Conference. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
- Hjortdal, A. & Roll, M. (2022). Danish stød as a cue to upcoming suffixes : An ERP and response time study.
- Fingerhut, A. & Roll, M. (2021). Primary auditory cortex’s vowel representation. In Roll, M. & Hjortdal, A. (Eds.) Lund Working Papers in Linguistics, Proceedings of Fonetik 2021 : Lund, June 8–9, 2021 (pp. 33-35), 56. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University.
- Hjortdal, A. & Roll, M. (2021). Phonemic and subphonemic cues in prediction : Evidence from ERP, eye-tracking and Danish words with and without stødbasis. In Roll, M. & Hjortdal, A. (Eds.) Lund Working Papers in Linguistics, Proceedings of Fonetik 2021 : Lund, June 8–9, 2021 (pp. 27-32), 56. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University.
- Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2021). Question intonation in Southern Swedish. In Roll, M. & Hjortdal, A. (Eds.) Lund Working Papers in Linguistics, Proceedings of Fonetik 2021 : Lund, June 8–9, 2021 (pp. 54-57), 56. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University.
- Roll, M. (2019). Neurophonetics. Proceedings of Fonetik 2019, 127-132.
- Roll, M., Söderström, P. & Horne, M. (2019). Pre-activation negativity (PrAN): A neural index of predictive strength of phonological cues.
- Roll, M. (2018). A dual complexity gradient theory of speech perception. In Abelin, Å. & Nagano- Madsen, Y. (Eds.) Proceedings of Fonetik 2018 (pp. 55-59). University of Gothenburg.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2018). The role of segmental and suprasegmental information in word-level and sentence-level predictions.
- Schremm, A., Novén, M., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2018). Brain responses to morphologically complex words: an electrophysiological study on Swedish past tense forms.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2017). Predicting word endings and syntactic structures with prosodic cues – the pre-activation negativity.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2017). Tonal triggers to word-level and sentence-level predictions.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2017). Tonal triggers to word-level and sentence-level predictions.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M., Mannfolk, P., van Westen, D. & Roll, M. (2017). Anticipating morphological and syntactic structures : investigating the pre-activation negativity.
- Schremm, A., Novén, M., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2017). The influence of the cortical thickness of Planum Temporale on word tone processing in Swedish native speakers.
- Blomberg, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M. & Horne, M. (2016). Lexical specificity, imageability and emotional arousal modulate the N400 and the N700.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2016). Lexical frequency effects on word accent processing in Swedish.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2016). Word accents and phonological neighbourhood as predictive cues in spoken language comprehension.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M., Frid, J. & Roll, M. (2016). A brain potential signalling linguistic pre-activation? : an analysis of the pre-activation negativity (PrAN).
- Schremm, A., Novén, M., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2016). Cortical thickness of Planum Temporale in native language tone processing.
- Roll, M., Söderström, P. & Horne, M. (2015). A brain network for integration of tone and suffix. [Publication information missing], 140-140.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M. & Roll, M. (2015). Using tonal cues to predict inflections. In Svensson Lundmark, M., Ambrazaitis, G. & van de Weijer, J. (Eds.) Working Papers (pp. 91-94), 55. Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University.
- Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Apt, P. & Horne, M. (2014). Sensory-specific anomic aphasia following left occipital lesions: data from free oral descriptions of concrete word meanings.
- Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Brännström, J. & Horne, M. (2014). Dichotic listening with specific, general, abstract and emotional words – semantic judgments and reaction times.
- Söderström, P., Horne, M., Mannfolk, P., Shtyrov, Y., Johansson, M. & Roll, M. (2014). Prosody provides cues to morphosyntactic structure : an EEG-fMRI study of neural networks subserving Swedish word tone processing. [Publication information missing], 166-166.
- Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Apt, P. & Horne, M. (2013). Sensory - specific anomic aphasia following left occipital lesions: data from free oral descriptions of concrete word meanings. SALC IV. University of Eastern Finland.
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2013). Brain responses to morphological tones. [Publication information missing].
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2013). Right- and left-edge boundary tones in syntactic processing. In Asu, E. L. & Lippus, P. (Eds.) Nordic Prosody: Proceedings of the XI conference (pp. 303-312). Peter Lang Publishing Group.
- Söderström, P., Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2013). Effects of Task on the Processing of Swedish Word Accents: A Reaction Time and Response Time Study. In Asu, E. L. & Lippus, P. (Eds.) Nordic Prosody: proceedings of the XIth conference (pp. 353-362). Peter Lang Publishing Group.
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2012). A slow time constant in the neurophysiology of language processing. Neuroscience Day, Medical Faculty. Lund University.
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2012). Neural evidence for a slow time constant in language processing.
- Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., Lindgren, M., Apt, P. & Horne, M. (2011). Abstract, concrete and emotional words in the mental lexicon: a coding scheme for analyzing verbal descriptions of word meanings. SALC III, 86-86. University of Copenhagen.
- Roll, M., Söderström, P. & Horne, M. (2011). Phonetic markedness, turning points, and anticipatory attention. Fonetik 2011: Speech, Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report, 51, 113-116.
- Roll, M., Söderström, P. & Horne, M. (2011). The marked status of Accent 2 in Central Swedish. Proceedings from ICPhS 2011, 1710-1713.
- Mårtensson, F., Horne, M., Roll, M. & Apt, P. (2010). Modelling the Meaning of Words: Neural Correlates of Abstract and Concrete Noun Processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Frontiers Media S. A..
- Mårtensson, F., Horne, M., Roll, M. & Apt, P. (2010). Modelling the meaning of words: neural correlates of abstract and concrete noun processing. [Publication information missing].
- Roll, M., Mårtensson, F., Horne, M., Sikström, S. & Apt, P. (2010). Atypical abstract associations in aphasia measured by a semantic space model. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Frontiers Media S. A..
- Mårtensson, F., Horne, M., Roll, M. & Apt, P. (2009). Implications of aphasia on abstract and concrete noun processing. SALC II. Stockholm University.
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2009). Grammaticalization of prosody in the brain. In Branderud, P. & Traunmüller, H. (Eds.) [Host publication title missing] (pp. 66-71). Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University.
- Roll, M. & Horne, M. (2009). The neurocognitive reality of a left-edge boundary tone in on-line sentence processing. SALC II. Stockholm University.
- Roll, M., Horne, M. & Lindgren, M. (2008). Neurophysiology of a left-edge boundary tone using natural and edited F0. In Barbosa, P. (Ed.) Proceedings Speech Prosody 2008 (pp. 247-250).
- Horne, M., Frid, J. & Roll, M. (2006). Timing restrictions on prosodic phrasing. In Bruce, G. & Horne, M. (Eds.) Nordic Prosody IX (pp. 117-126). Peter Lang Publishing Group.
- Roll, M. (2006). Prosodic Cues to the Syntactic Structure of Subordinate Clauses in Swedish. In Bruce, G. & Horne, M. (Eds.) Nordic Prosody: Proceedings of the IXth Conference, Lund 2004 (pp. 195-204). Peter Lang Publishing Group.
Working papers (1)
Reviews (1)
Articles in specialist publications and popular press (1)
Supervision at Lund University (5)
- Novén, M. (2021). Brain anatomical correlates of perceptual phonological proficiency and language learning aptitude. Lund University. Dissertation.
- Gosselke Berthelsen, S. (2021). Rapid neural processing of grammatical tone in second language learners. Lund University. Dissertation.
- Schremm, A. (2018). Cognitive and neural mechanisms of inflectional morphology processing : Studies of native speakers and second language learners of Swedish. Lund University. Dissertation.
- Söderström, P. (2017). Prosody and Prediction in Neural Speech Processing. Lund University : Centre for Languages and Literature. Dissertation.
- Blomberg, F. (2016). Concreteness, Specificity and Emotional Content in Swedish Nouns : Neurocognitive Studies of Word Meaning. Lund University (Media-Tryck). Dissertation.
Administrative
- Manager of Research and Research Education at General Linguistics and Phonetics
- Member, Board of Section 1, Centre for Languages and Literature
Teaching
Other tasks and qualifications
Swedish Academy award to postdoctoral researchers, 2014 for valuable contributions to knowledge about the Swedish language.
Einar Hansen's research award 2015 for outstanding achievements in humanistic research.
Research award from Inga and John Hain's foundation for scientific humanistic research 2017.

Professor
- Phonetics
- Centre for Languages and Literature
Manager of Research and Research Education
- General Linguistics
- Phonetics
- Centre for Languages and Literature
Contact information
E-mail mikael.rollling.luse
Phone +46 46 222 99 05
Mobile +46 46 222 99 05
Room SOL:H415b
Visiting address
Helgonabacken 12, Lund
Postal address
Box 201, 221 00 Lund
Internal post code 20