Working in the shade: the assistants of Josef Chlumský at the Laboratory of Experimental Phonetics in Prague

Josef Chlumský (1871–1939) was instrumental in establishing experimental phonetics at Charles University in Prague, founding the university’s phonetics laboratory in 1919. Although his position as the sole professor of phonetics in Czechoslovakia made him a dominant figure, the laboratory’s development between 1919 and 1939 relied significantly on the work of his assistants. Trained under Abbé Rousselot, Chlumský largely adhered to his mentor’s methods and areas of focus. However, much of the laboratory’s innovation originated with his collaborators. Chief among them was Bohuslav Hála, the only salaried assistant during this period, whose work proved fundamental in many respects. Three unpaid assistants also made notable contributions: Karel Ohnesorg studied child speech development and remained influential after relocating to Brno; Jiří (Georges) Straka combined phonetic training with structuralist insights and subsequently led phonetic research in Strasbourg; and Věra Mazlová, the sole female assistant, pursued promising dialectological research before her untimely death. This paper argues that these individuals were not merely subordinate staff, but key contributors whose research shaped the trajectory of Czech experimental phonetics in tandem with, and sometimes independently from, Chlumský’s leadership.