Overview

This module takes students through more advanced issues in Phonetics and Phonology, building on what they learned in the first year module QXL-1115 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology.

Areas covered include articulatory phonetics, spectrographic analysis, the distinction between melody and prosody, the identification of phonological patterns, the properties of phonological structure, and the role of phonological theory in understanding the representation of speakers’ phonological knowledge and the nature of crosslinguistic phenomena . The knowledge and skills acquired in this module will be essential for many other modules and/or projects. Assessment is problem-based and takes the form of "open book" questions based on real language data.

Students in this module, depending on assessment topics, research question(s) and methodologies will have to opportunity to utilize the department labs, specialized software and resources, when carry out their assessments. This can include access to and the use of; dedicated lab facilities for experiments, a professional grade sound isolation booth and high-end recording equipment setup, high-level statistical modelling and analysis software and acoustic and phonetic analysis software.

The main areas covered in this module include: 1. articulatory phonetics 2. spectrographic analysis 3. melody and prosody 4. phonological patterns 5. cross-linguistic phenomena in phonology 6. phonological theory 7. representation of speakers’ phonological knowledge

Assessment Strategy

Threshold (D- to D+) Submitted work is adequate and shows an acceptable level of competence as follows: 1.Generally accurate but with omissions and errors.2.Assertions are made without clear supporting evidence or reasoning.3.Has structure but is lacking in clarity and therefore relies on the reader to make links and assumptions.4.Draws on a relatively narrow range of material.

Good (C- to B+) Submitted work is competent throughout and may be distinguished by superior style, approach and choice of supporting materials. It: 1.Demonstrates good or very good structure and logically developed arguments.2.Draws at least in parts on material that has been sourced and assessed as a result of independent study, or in a way unique to the student.3.Assertions are backed by evidence and sound reasoning.4.Accuracy and presentation in an appropriate academic style.

Excellent (A- to A*) Submitted work is of an outstanding quality and excellent in one or more of the following ways: 1.Has originality of exposition with the student’s own thinking being readily apparent.2.Provides clear evidence of extensive and relevant independent study.3.Arguments are laid down with clarity and provide the reader with successive stages of consideration to reach conclusions.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply instrumental techniques to investigate speech production

• Apply phonologival theory to the analysis of phonological processes that languages employ, using examples from varieties of English and other languages.

• Distinguish linguistic sounds based on their articulatory and acoustic properties, and illustrate how these properties affect the way sounds behave.

• Recognise and identify different sounds in human speech and transcribe them using the International Phonetic Alphabet