Introduction to English Phonology 2nd Edition

A student's introduction to the sounds of English

This textbook introduces the main units and concepts you require to describe speech sounds accurately. By working through the book and the various exercises included, you will come to understand the need for a dedicated system of description and transcription for speech sounds, and for a degree of phonological abstraction to support our understanding of the behaviour of sounds in particular languages and varieties. You will learn to carry out elementary, broad phonetic transcription, and be able to establish contrastive vowel and consonant systems for your own varieties and to express simple generalisations reflecting the productive and predictable patterns of English sounds. At the end of the book there is a section guiding you through some of the exercises and there is also a detailed glossary which will be useful for assignments or revision during exams.

Key features:

. Ten discrete chapters map on to an introductory course on English phonology
. Expanded coverage of different accents and varieties of modern World Englishes (Chapter 8)
. New coverage of intonation (Chapter 10)
. Theory-neutral and clear explanation of concepts central to the practice of phonology
. New exercises, discussion questions and a glossary
. Over 80 diagrams and examples clearly demonstrate key concepts, data and ideas

April McMahon is Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at the University of Manchester.

List of contents

To students; To colleagues

1. Sounds, spellings and symbols
1.1 Phonetics and phonology
1.2 Variation
1.3 The International Phonetic Alphabet
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

2 The phoneme: the same but different
2.1 Variation and when to ignore it
2.2 Conditioned variation in written language
2.3 The phoneme
2.4 Some further examples
2.5 The reality of the phoneme
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

3 Describing English consonants
3.1 What's inside a phonetic symbol?
3.2 Consonant classification
3.3 The anatomy of a consonant
Exercises
Recommendations for reading

4 Defining distributions: consonant allophones
4.1 Phonemes revisited
4.2 Making generalisations
4.3 Making statements more precise
4.4 A more economical feature system
4.5 Natural classes
4.6 A warning note on phonological rules
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

5 Criteria for contrast: the phoneme system
5.1 Minimal pairs and beyond
5.2 Phonetic similarity and defective distributions
5.3 Free variation
5.4 Neutralisation
5.5 Phonology and morphology
5.6 Rules and constraints
5.7 The phoneme system
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

6 Describing vowels
6.1 Vowels versus consonants
6.2 The anatomy of a vowel
6.3 Vowel classification
Exercises
Recommendations for reading

7 Vowel phonemes
7.1 The same but different again
7.2 Establishing vowel contrasts
7.3 Vowel features and allophonic rules
7.4 Phonetic similarity and defective distribution
7.5 Free variation, neutralisation and morphophonemics
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

8 Variation between accents
8.1 The importance of accent
8.2 Systemic differences
8.3 Realisational differences
8.4 Distributional differences
8.5 New accents - language contact and World Englishes
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

9 Syllables
9.1 Phonology above the segment
9.2 The syllable
9.3 Constituents of the syllable
9.4 The grammar of syllables: patterns of acceptability
9.5 Justifying the constituents
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

10 The word and above
10.1 Phonological units above the syllable
10.2 Stress
10.3 The foot
10.4 Segmental phonology of the phrase and word
10.5 Intonation
Exercises and topics for discussion
Recommendations for reading

Glossary; Discussion of the exercises; References; Index

About the author

April McMahon is Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at the University of Manchester, and Professor in the Department of Linguistics and English Language. Her previous books include Understanding Language Change, Lexical Phonology and the History of English and Change, Chance, and Optimality.

Summary

A student's introduction to the sounds of English

Product details

• Authors: April Mcmahon, McMahon April
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2020
• EAN: 9781474463690
• ISBN: 978-1-4744-6369-0
• No. of pages: 208
• Series: Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics