ENGLISH PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY I 2016

CURSO
SIGLA
CREDITOS
MODULOS
REQUISITOS
CARACTER
DISCIPLINA
PROFESOR

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English Phonetics and Phonology I

LET1325
10
02
Ninguno
Mnimo
Letras
Isadora Reynolds C.

Description
Theoretical practical course dedicated to the study of the theoretical aspects of English phonetics and
phonology. It corresponds to an in-depth segmental description of the standard varieties of English. This Couse
also explores the status and characteristics of English as a lingua franca and the application of phonetics to other
areas of knowledge. The course entails phonemic transcription practice, oral production, and sound
discrimination of the standard varieties of English.

Objectives
General:
Apply phonetic theory to the description, classification, and production of oral English with special emphasis
on the phonological processes that underlie the GB and GA varieties.

Specific:
Apply the principles of phonetics to the description and classification of the sounds of English.
Sound discrimination.
Reproduce the segmental and prosodic features of English.
Produce spoken English in the chosen variety with a near native proficiency.
Understand the segmental variations of the different dialects of English.
Analyse the relevance and contributions of phonetics to the different areas of knowledge.
Compare and contrast the segmental inventories of Spanish and English.

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CONTENIDOS
Linguistic sciences: Linguistics and Phonetics; scope and means. Language and speech. Levels of
linguistic analysis.
Phonetics: the areas of Phonetics. Scope of Phonetic Sciences: science of speech, speech pathologies,
speech synthesis. Speech Chain: speaker, medium, and listener. How thee relate to oral communication
2.1. Speech mechanisms: phonation organs and their specific role in the production of English segments.
Segmental features of English: manner and place of articulation.
2.2. Speech transmission: acoustic phonetics. Acoustic details of English segments. Perception theories.
Interlanguage and foreign language acquisition.
2.3. The speech act in English: segmental, prosodic, and paralinguistic features.
English segments inventory:
3.1. English vocoids: parameters of classification. Vowels and consonants: inventory and frequency of
occurrence. Weak forms. Allophonic variations. Pure vowels and diphthongs of GB and GA.
3.1.1. English pure vowels in detail: front, central, and back vowels; open, mid, and close vowels.
The phonology of English vowels. The impact of phonological environment on English
vowels.

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE CHILE

FACULTAD DE LETRAS/ ENERO 2016
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3.1.2. English diphthongs: parameters of classification. Frequency of occurrence. GB and GA

diphthong inventories. Divergences and similarities between both systems.
3.2. English contoids: parameters of classification. Allophonic variants. English contoids in connected
speech.
3.2.1. Plosives. Stages of articulation, types of release.
3.2.2. Fricatives.
3.2.3. Affricates
3.2.4. Nasals: nasalization, syllabification.
3.2.5. Laterals.
3.2.6. Approximants.
3.2.7. Semivowels: phonetic and phonological status.
3.2.8. Allophonic variants of English contoids.
3.3. Features of connected speech and their influence in vowels and consonants. Elision, gradation,
assimilation, compression.
English as a Lingua Franca: phonemic description of dialectal varieties.
4.1. International English: inner, outer, and expanding circle
4.2. Pedagogical implications of English as an international language. Parameters of minimum
intelligibility.
Applied Phonetics:
5.1. Phonetics applied to the teaching of English as a foreign language. Phonetics and speech disorders.
Phonetics and speech disorders. Phonetics and its relation to different areas of knowledge.
Contrastive Phonetics:
6.1. Spanish Phonetic Inventory, Chilean Spanish inventory, divergences and similarities between
Spanish and English standard varieties.
6.2. Pedagogical implications of the difference in inventories between Spanish and English.
6.3. Bilingualism, segmental acquisition in Spanish-English bilinguals.

Methodology
This course has a high practical component. Nevertheless, the theoretical and practical aspects of the course
are in direct relationship which translates into a methodology that contemplates:
Expository lectures with a high level of teacher-student interaction.
Weekly lab sessions.
Transcription exercises of both written and spoken texts.
Phonetic and phonological evaluations and exercises.
Specific readings and discussion of these.
Elaboration of a guided final written work of topics pertaining to the discipline.
Discussion of recent phonetic theory, especially those of applied nature.
evaluation
- 2 written tests
- 2 oral presentations
- 1 research paper
- 1 oral control
- Transcriptions and quizzes
- 1 final oral exam
BIBLIOGRAFIA
Ashby, M., & Maidment, J. A. (2005). Introducing phonetic science. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Bauman-Wngler, J. A. (2009). Introduction to phonetics and phonology: From concepts to transcription.
Boston: Pearson.
Brown, A. (2014). Pronunciation and phonetics: A practical guide for English language teachers.

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Carr, P. (1999) English Phonetics and Phonology. Malden, MA: Blackwell

Collins, B., & Mees, I. M. (2013). Practical phonetics and phonology a resource book for students (3rd ed.).
London: Routledge.
Cruttenden, A., & Gimson, A. C. (2014). Gimson's pronunciation of English (8th ed.). Oxon: Routledge.
Davenport, M., & Hannahs, S. J. (2010). Introducing phonetics and phonology (3rd ed.). London: Hodder
Education.
Fabiano-Smith, L., & Barlow, J. (2010). Interaction in bilingual phonological acquisition: evidence from
phonetic inventories. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 13(1), 81-97.
Fabiano-Smith, L. & Goldstein, B. (2010) Phonological Acquisition in Bilingual SpanishEnglish Speaking
Children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 53, 160178.
Gick, B., Wilson, I., & Derrick, D. (2013). Articulatory phonetics. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Hancock, M. (2003). English pronunciation in use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A guide to the use of the International Phonetic
Alphabet. (1999). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
James, L., & Smith, O. (2007). Get rid of your accent: The English pronunciation and speech training
manual. London: Business & Technical Communication Services.
Jenkins, J. (2000). The phonology of English as an international language: New models, new norms, new
goals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Johnson, K. (2012). Acoustic and auditory phonetics (3rd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2007). World Englishes: Implications for international communication and English language
teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Ladefoged, P., & Johnson, K. (2015). A Course in Phonetics (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Luisa, G. L., & Maidment, J. A. (2000). English transcription course. London: Arnold.
Melchers, G., & Shaw, P. (2012). World Englishes an introduction. London: Hodder Education.
Mott, B. (2005). English phonetics and phonology for Spanish speakers. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions
de la Universitat de Barcelona.
Nelson, C. L. (2011). Intelligibility in world Englishes: Theory and application. New York: Routledge.
Roach, P. (2000). English phonetics and phonology: A practical course (4th ed.). Cambridge, U.K.:
Cambridge University Press.
Sadowsky, S. & Salamanca, G. (2011) El Inventario Fontico del Espaol de Chile. Onomzein 24 (2), 61-84
Small, L. H. (2005). Fundamentals of phonetics: A practical guide for students. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and
Bacon.
Yava, M. S. (2011). Applied English phonology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS/ ENERO 2016
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