English Phonetics and Phonology

Bibliography
Carr, P.: Phonology, Macmillan 1993
Catford, J.C.: A Practical Introduction to Phonetics, OUP 1988
Gimson, A.C.: An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English, London 1980
Jones, D.: An Outline of English Phonetics, CUP 1975
Ladefoged, P.: A Course in Phonetics, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1982
Laver, J.: Principles of Phonetics, CUP 1994
Menhard, Z.: A Workbook in English Phonetics, Praha 1990
Roach, P.: English Phonetics and Phonology, CUP 2000
Skaličková, A.: Anglická fonetika, Praha 1982
Underhill, A.: Sound Foundations, Heineman 1993
Celce-Murcia, M.: Teaching Pronunciation, CUP, 2002

Credit requirements:

80% attendance , pronunciation test, transcription tests,

credit test (min. 70%)

Exam requirements:

Satisfactory knowledge of the content of the subject: English Phonetics and

Phonology described within the 10 main topics bellow. Exam test (min. 70%)

Course description
The course of English Phonology shall lay basic foundations to theoretical and practical knowledge of
the English sound system. The course will focus at segmental sound system, the vowels and
consonants will be described and thoroughly classified. The Suprasegmental features presented will
include stress, rhythm, pitch and intonation. 

The sound system will be presented in the broader context of the holistic view at language analysis.

Main topics

1. Phonetics and phonology

- field of study: Phonology x Phonetics
- phonemic system: abstract units-phonemes
- phonemes their concrete realizations:phones – allophones
- complementary distribution of phones - possitional
- transcription: phonetic(narrow)x phonemic(broad)
- using IPA at school
- the chart of English vowels, consonants and diphtongs
- Received pronunciation=BBC English
- World English
- Segmental phonology x Suprasegmental phonology

2. Articulatory Phonetics
- articulatory aparatus (vocal tract,vocal cords, tongue: individual
articulators)
- place of articulation of individual consonants – ranking according
to the place of articulation

3. English vowel system

- vocalic triangle: short vowels, long vowels (front, central, back,
close, open)
- diphtongs, triphtongs (give examples)

4. English Consonants
- manner of articulation – ranking consonants according to the
manner of articulation
- Voicing and consonants: fortis x lenis

5. English Syllable
- phonotactics
- the structure of English syllable: onset – peak – coda
- demonstrate the analysis within an example
- strong and weak syllables : long and short vowels, syllabic
consonants (give examples)
6. Stress
- its production and perception
- the pitch
- levels of stress (demonstrate on an example)
- stress in simple words (no affixes)
- stress in complex words : the influence of suffixes an prefixes on
the placement of the word stress
- compound words
- variable stress
- word –class pairs

7. Rhythm:
Stress-timed rhythm : English
syllable-timed rhythm: Czech

8. Aspects of connected speech

- Special character of connected speech, its developement
- Assimilation: regressive, progressive (give examples)
- Assimilation of place, manner and voice
- Elision (zero realisation) – give examples
- Linking : close juncture, linking r, intrusive r

9. Intonation
- high and low pitch
- tone : level tone x moving tone
- functions of tones
- complex tones: fall-rise, rise-fall : functions
- tone-unit, tonic syllable, tonic stress
- the structure of the tone unit: pre-head, head, tail – explain, give
examples

10.Functions of Intonation
- Attitudinal function
- Accentual function
- Grammatical function - explanation and examples to all
- Discourse function functions