MA Linguistics

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Phonetics and Phonology I

Course unit fact file
Unit code LELA70061
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

This course unit introduces students to foundational concepts and basic analytical skills in phonology and phonetics. Students will learn about the principles of speech production and perception, how to transcribe a variety of speech sounds, as well as the methods involved in phonological analysis.

Aims

As this course unit is a combination of phonetic and phonological components:

  •  An understanding of current approaches to studying the production and perception of speech sounds (both articulatory and acoustic aspects); a competency in the description of human language sounds; the ability to accurately recognize and transcribe these sounds
  •  An introduction to the fundamental theoretical questions and issues in patterns of sounds; an introduction to syllable structure as it relates to other prosodic constituents; an overview of other phonological topics, e.g. phonological features, syllable structure.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of this course students will be able to:  

  • Transcribe speech sounds, understand phonological rules and their interrelationships, express awareness of representational units in phonology"

Intellectual skills

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Learn and apply techniques for data analysis, and critical analysis, create and assess coherent arguments, gain familiarity with speech sounds, their means of production, and the appropriate IPA symbols used to transcribe them

Practical skills

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Gain and use skills in problem solving, resource location (appropriate literature location, procurement & analysis), (transcription) conventions

Transferable skills and personal qualities

The ability to undertake successful self-directed study and learning, critical reading skills, appropriate time-management; Students will also gain skills in computer & software use and analysis.

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written assignment (inc essay) 75%
Project output (not diss/n) 25%

Feedback methods

Oral and Written feedback on the assessed coursework.

Recommended reading

PHONETICS

 

Knight, R. A. (2012).Phonetics: A coursebook. Cambridge University Press.
 
Ladefoged, Peter & Keith Johnson. 2011. A Course in Phonetics, 6th Edition. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth.
 
Zsiga, E. C. (2012).The sounds of language: An introduction to phonetics and phonology. John Wiley & Sons.

 

 
PHONOLOGY
 
Kennedy, R. (2016).Phonology: A coursebook. Cambridge University Press
 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 33
Independent study hours
Independent study 117

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