This paper introduces a comprehensive project with the objective of finding the neuronal correlates of pronunciation talent. It concentrates on the first part of this undertaking, describing the extensive tests necessary to measure phonetic talent in its various dimensions such as production and perception, the segmental and suprasegmental levels of speech or different utterance forms such as spontaneous speech, reading and imitation. The project also investigates psychological and behavioral influences on pronunciation performance, as well as correlations with general linguistic aptitude. Example tasks making use of the distinction between categorical and realizational differences in intonation are used to demonstrate the detailed analyses allowed by the chosen approach. The described measures allow a reliable classification of talent level to be used in the selection of subjects for the neuroimaging studies in the second part of the project. Additionally, they provide general insights into the interactions between the examined talent-related parameters.