The first class will commence on 18th January, 2024 (Thursday), 13:30 - 15:20 at CPD-3.15.

This course introduces students to the acoustic aspects of speech sounds. We will look at 1) the acoustic nature of different 'components' of speech such as vowels, consonants, stress, tone, and voice quality; and 2) how the study of speech can be applied to various areas of inquiry such as speech perception and production, the learning of new sounds, sociophonetics, and forensic phonetics. Students will get hands-on experience with Praat, a free computer program for the analysis of speech. Prior knowledge of phonetics will be helpful but not obligatory. Students with little background on the study of speech are encouraged to read the recommended introductory textbooks before the course starts.

 

The acoustic properties of various components of speech (e.g. vowels, consonants, stress, tone, and voice quality), speech perception and production, sociophonetics, second language speech learning, forensic phonetics

 

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to

1) explain key concepts related to speech acoustics;

2) analyse speech data using Praat;

3) demonstrate an understanding of the key methodological issues involved in phonetic research

 

A two-hour lecture and a one-hour practical workshop per week

 

• Workshop exercises (10%)
• A short written report (20%)
• Mid-term quiz (30%)
• Term essay (40%)

 

Recommended readings:

• Di Paolo, M., Yaeger-Dror, M., & Wassink, A. (Eds). (2010). Sociophonetics: a student’s guide. London: Routledge.
• Johnson, K. (2011). Acoustic and auditory phonetics. 3^rd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell.

Additional readings will be recommended throughout the course.

Recommended readings for students who have little prior knowledge in phonetics:

• Cruttenden, A. (2014). Gimson's pronunciation of English. 8^th Edition. Routledge.
• Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology: a practical course. 4^th Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.