ENGL2166 – English phonetics – HKU School of English

Academics

Undergraduate

Course Offerings and Timetables

ENGL2166 – English phonetics

This course introduces students to the scientific study of speech, focusing on speech acoustics. It covers 1) the articulatory and acoustic characteristics of vowels, consonants, stress, tone, and voice quality, and 2) applications of phonetics, including speech perception and production, speech learning, sociophonetics, and forensic phonetics. Students will gain hands-on experience with Praat, a free software tool for speech analysis. Prior knowledge of phonetics is helpful but not obligatory. Students with limited background in phonetics are encouraged to review introductory textbooks recommended in the course syllabus before the course begins.

Topics

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

Objectives

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 understanding of the key methods and challenges in phonetic research.

Organisation

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

Assessment

Attendance and participation (10%)
Workshop exercises (10%)
Short written report (20%)
Mid-term quiz (30%)
Term essay (30%)

Texts

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 provided throughout the course.

Recommended readings for students who have limited 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.