  We discuss the rich vibrational dynamics of nanometer-scale semiconducting
and insulating crystals as probed by localized electronic impurity states, with
an emphasis on nanoparticles that are only weakly coupled to their environment.
Two principal regimes of electron-phonon dynamics are distinguished, and a
brief survey of vibrational-mode broadening mechanisms is presented. Recent
work on the effects of mechanical interaction with the environment is
discussed.
