Accessibility statement

Advanced Phonetics - LAN00069M

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  • Department: Language and Linguistic Science
  • Credit value: 10 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module aims:

to give students an understanding of the acoustics of speech, how speech acoustics relates to production and perception in articulatory terms

to equip students with the ability to reason about speech based on a range of phonetic evidence and using theoretical as well as practical tools

to equip students with the ability to design simple but effective data collection for further analysis

Module learning outcomes

You will know and understand the essentials of the acoustics of speech, including:

Sound as an acoustic and auditory phenomenon

The source-filter theory of speech production

Acoustic properties of the source and filter

Articulation and resonance

Common ways of representing speech acoustically: waveforms, spectrograms, spectra, F0 traces

Contextual effects on speech sounds (illustrated through English)

How the acoustics of speech relates to articulation

You will know and understand the essentials of speech perception, including:

The basics of hearing

Acoustic cues to speech sounds

Categorical perception

You will know and understand some of the issues in data collection, including:

Making recordings

Sampling in digital recordings

Designing materials for recording

You will be able to do the following things:

Reason about speech production and perception, combining articulatory, acoustic and auditory evidence

Use software for the acoustic analysis of speech, and to produce images for insertion into documents

Design a simple acoustic phonetic study, taking ethics into account

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled) 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled) 100

Module feedback

Written feedback within 20 working days.

Indicative reading

Gloria Borden, Katherine S. Harris, Lawrence J. Raphael: Speech Science Primer

Nigel Hewlett, Janet Beck: An introduction to the Science of Phonetics

Keith Johnson. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics (3rd edition), Wiley-Blackwell, 2012

J. M. Pickett: The Acoustics of Speech Communication


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.