This module introduces students to the study of phonetics and phonology - the study of the sounds and sound patterns of human language.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
This module introduces students to the phonetic and phonological analysis of language, starting with phonetics and moving on to phonology. The phonetics part covers the basics of articulatory and impressionistic phonetics. The phonology part covers the position of phonology within the human linguistic system, recurrent phonological phenomena in the world's languages and the phonological notation most commonly used by linguists.
At the end of this module you will:
be familiar with the basic symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet, including all those symbols needed to describe English
know the terminology appropriate to the description of consonants and vowels, including the parameters of description on the IPA chart
understand something of the relationship between the sounds of speech and the abstract linguistic system that underlies them, as well as the relationship of phonetics and phonology to the wider linguistic system
understand the basic structure of sound systems across languages, and the ways in which this is established analytically
know some of the types of unit that are commonly used in phonology, such as phonemes and features
be familiar with some common phonological phenomena and formal accounts of them, including a range of notational devices such as rules and hierarchical representation
At the end of this module you will be able to:
recognise many of the sounds of the IPA chart and the parameters along which sounds can vary, and describe them using appropriate terminology and symbolisation
establish phonological categories on the basis of contrast
produce simple phonetic descriptions and broad phonetic transcriptions of short stretches of speech
provide structural descriptions of syllables using appropriate phonological notation
compare competing analyses of simple phenomena and evaluate their relative success
This course is divided into two sessions, covering phonetics first, then phonology:
Weeks 1-5 Phonetics: Introduction to basic phonetics including anatomy of the vocal tract, sounds in speech, vowels and consonants.
Weeks 6-10 Phonology: Introduction to phonology including sounds in use, phonological inventories, syllables and phonological patterns.
Week 11: Revision
You will have three teaching hours per week: a two hour lecture (made up of one hour of lecture plus one hour of interactive workshop activities) + a one hour small group seminar.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 40 |
Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 60 |
None
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Feedback on formative coursework and summative assessments within the university mandated time limit.
For the phonetics part of the course, readings are set each week from the following book:
Ogden, Richard (2017) An introduction to English phonetics. 2nd edition. Edinburgh University Press.
For the phonology part of the course, readings are set each week from the following book:
Nathan, G. (2008). Phonology: a cognitive grammar introduction. John Benjamins.
Both books are available as ebooks via the University Library.