BA Linguistics and Sociology / Course details

This course unit is a hands-on exploration of the production and perception of speech sounds, with a focus on experimental methodology. We’ll cover the basic principles governing the relationship between articulation and acoustics, looking at the source of sound waves in the larynx and how that sound source is shaped by the vocal tract. Students will learn how to measure a variety of acoustic properties of speech, and how those measurements can be used as a tool to investigate questions in phonology, sociolinguistics, and second language acquisition. We’ll also explore how speech sound are perceived, and what factors influence the relationship between the acoustic signal and what the listener hears.

The aim of this course unit is to:

• Provide a strong foundation in the techniques involved in phonetic analysis.

Students will acquire an understanding of:

• The main concepts employed in the acoustic analysis of speech sounds.
• The design of phonetic experiments.
• The use of phonetic analysis as a tool to answer broader research questions.

Representative examples of topics covered:

• The Larynx
• Stops and Fricatives
• The Source-Filter Model
• Vowel Quality
• Liquids and Nasals
• What is Sonority?
• Categorical Perception
• Coarticulation
• The Phonology-Phonetics Interface
• Phonetics in Neurolinguistics
• Forensic Phonetics

• Integrated lecture and seminar content, focusing on a discovery-based approach to the material.
• Readings, software tutorials, and additional exercises on Blackboard.
• Individual meetings with project groups to provide additional support.

• Understand the relationship between articulation, acoustic signal, and perception of speech sounds.
• Understand the relationship between phonetic measurements and hypotheses in phonology, sociolinguistics, and second language acquisition.

• Recognise and evaluate well-formed research questions.
• Read and interpret scientific articles.
• Answer theoretical questions using scientific evidence and sound reasoning.

• Measure the acoustic properties of speech relevant for answering research questions in linguistics.
• Design and carry out scientific experiments.
• Analyse and interpret experimental data.

• Perform basic quantitative analysis and visualisation of data.
• Write a scientific report.