600.01 Phonetic Theory U G 5
Prereq: 601, or an equivalent introduction linguistics or phonetics or phonology or phonetics
Principles of phonetics, with particular focus on the nature of phonetic representation and the acoustic theory of speech production; practice in the transcription and acoustic analysis of sounds in various languages of the world.
Ling 600.01 is a graduate-level introduction to phonetics. It is an overview of phonetic representations and theories, starting from the basics of the acoustic theory of speech production and extending through recent models of speech perception capacities that are tuned to a specific language. A major component of the coursework is a set of weekly homework assignments, which use pre-recorded data that will be provided on the course web page, supplemented by a related set of in-class lab assignments, which use data that the student will provide. This component is intended to fulfill the main function of the course, which is to provide the background for further work in phonetics and laboratory phonology. A second component is a small field project, with incremental field project reports geared to the topics covered in the class. Most of the later lab sessions use data recorded in collaboration with the field project language consultant, so that this component of the coursework relates the phonetic theories and representations reviewed in class to the classical phonological model of distinctive features and allophonic variation embodied in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Thus, this component covers some of the background for courses in field methods and phonological theory by providing the opportunity to exercise transcription skills in conjunction with other methods of observation in working with a language consultant. However, this coverage assumes a basic familiarity with the IPA model and its relationship to subsequent phonological theory. A student who wants a more thorough introduction to the IPA should enroll instead in Speech & Hearing 320 or Linguistics 500.
Offered 2007-2008:
Offered 2008-2009 (projected):
Instructor's Course Pages:
Mary E. Beckman
Last modified 2003-07-13
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