Sounds of Language - An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

The fully updated, new edition of the bestselling introduction to phonetics and phonology
 
The Sounds of Language presents a comprehensive introduction to both the physical and cognitive aspects of speech sounds. Assuming no prior knowledge of phonetics or phonology, this student-friendly textbook clearly explains fundamental concepts and theories, describes key phonetic and phonological phenomena, explores the history and intersection of the two fields, offers practical advice on collecting and reading data, and more.
 
Twenty-four concise chapters, written in non-technical language, are organized into six sections that each focus on a particular sub-discipline: Articulatory Phonetics, Acoustic Phonetics, Segmental Phonology, Suprasegmental Phonology, the Phonology/Morphology Interface, and Variation and Change. The book's flexible modular approach allows instructors to easily choose, re-order, combine, or skip sections to meet the needs of one- and two-semester courses of varying levels. Now in its second edition, The Sounds of Language contains updated references, new problem sets, new examples, and links to new online material. The new edition features new chapters on Lexical Phonology; Word Structure and Sound Structure; and Variation, Probability, and Phonological Theory. Chapters on Sociolinguistic Variation, Child Language Acquisition, and Adult Language Learning have also been extensively updated and revised.
 
Offering uniquely broad and balanced coverage of the theory and practice of two major branches of linguistics, The Sounds of Language:
* Covers a wide range of topics in phonetics and phonology, from the anatomy of the vocal tract to the cognitive processes behind the comprehension of speech sounds
* Features critical reviews of different approaches that have been used to address phonetics and phonology problems
* Integrates data on sociolinguistic variation, first language acquisition, and second language learning
* Surveys key phonological theories, common phonological processes, and computational techniques for speech analysis
* Contains numerous exercises and progressively challenging problem sets that allow students to practice data analysis and hypothesis testing
* Includes access to a companion website with additional exercises, sound files, and other supporting resources
 
The Sounds of Language: An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology, Second Edition, remains the ideal textbook for undergraduate and beginning graduate classes on phonology and phonetics, as well as related courses in linguistics, applied linguistics, speech science, language acquisition, and cognitive science programs.

List of contents

Preface xvii
 
Preface to the Second Edition xviii
 
About the Companion Website xx
 
Part I Articulation 1
 
1 The Vocal Tract 3
 
1.1 Seeing the Vocal Tract: Tools for Speech Research 4
 
1.2 The Parts of the Vocal Tract 7
 
Chapter Summary 13
 
Further Reading 13
 
Review Exercises 14
 
Further Analysis and Discussion 15
 
Further Research 15
 
Go online 15
 
References 15
 
2 Basics of Articulation: Manner and Place in English 16
 
2.1 The Dance of the Articulators 17
 
2.2 Phonetic Transcription 18
 
Chapter Summary 30
 
Further Reading 31
 
Review Exercises 31
 
Further Research 34
 
Go online 34
 
3 A Tour of the Consonants 35
 
3.1 "Exotic" Sounds and the Phonetic Environment 36
 
3.2 Pulmonic Consonants 39
 
3.3 Non-Pulmonic Consonants 47
 
3.4 Positional Variation in English 50
 
Chapter Summary 53
 
Further Reading 54
 
Review Exercises 54
 
Further Analysis and Discussion 55
 
Go online 56
 
References 56
 
4 A Map of the Vowels 58
 
4.1 The Landscape 59
 
4.2 Cardinal Vowels 60
 
4.3 Building Inventories: Dimensions of Vowel Quality 62
 
4.4 Nasality and Voice Quality 69
 
4.5 Length and Diphthongs 70
 
4.6 Tone 71
 
4.7 Positional Variants of the Vowels of English 73
 
Chapter Summary 74
 
Further Reading 74
 
Review Exercises 74
 
Further Analysis and Discussion 76
 
Further Research 77
 
References 77
 
5 Anatomy, Physiology, and Gestural Coordination 78
 
5.1 Anatomy and Physiology of Respiration 79
 
5.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Larynx 81
 
5.3 Anatomy of the Tongue and Supralaryngeal Vocal Tract 87
 
5.4 Gestural Coordination 91
 
5.5 Palatography 93
 
Chapter Summary 95
 
Further Reading 96
 
Review Exercises 96
 
Further Analysis and Discussion 98
 
Further Research 99
 
Go online 99
 
Part II Acoustics and Perception 101
 
6 The Physics of Sound: Pendulums, Pebbles, and Waves 103
 
6.1 What Is Sound? 104
 
6.2 Simple Harmonic Motion: A Pendulum and a Tuning Fork 106
 
6.3 Adding Sinusoids: Complex Waves 109
 
6.4 Sound Propagation 112
 
6.5 Decibels 114
 
6.6 Resonance 115
 
6.7 The Vocal Tract as a Sound-producing Device: Source-Filter Theory 118
 
Chapter Summary 120
 
Further Reading 120
 
Review Exercises 120
 
Go online 121
 
7 Looking at Speech Waveforms, Spectra, and Spectrograms 122
 
7.1 Pre-Digital Speech Analysis 123
 
7.2 Digitization 125
 
7.3 Looking at Waveforms 132
 
7.4 Spectra 134
 
7.5 Spectrograms 139
 
Chapter Summary 145
 
Further Reading 145
 
Review Exercises 145
 
Further Analysis and Discussion 146
 
Further Research 149
 
Go online 150
 
References 150
 
8 Speech Analysis: Under the Hood 151
 
8.1 Building Sounds Up 152
 
8.2 Breaking Sounds Down 162
 
Chapter Summary 171
 
Further Reading 172
 
Review Exercises 172
 
Further Analysis and Discussion 172
 
Further Research 173
 
Go online 173
 
References 173
 
9 Hearing and Speech Perception 174
 
9.1 Anatomy and Physiology of the Ear 175
 
9.2 Neuro-anatomy 181
 
9.

About the author

ELIZABETH C. ZSIGA is Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University, where she has taught undergraduate and graduate students since 1994. Her research focuses on the sound systems of diverse languages and the intersections between phonetics and phonology. She is the author of The Phonology/Phonetics Interface and has published widely in leading scholarly journals.

Product details

• Authors: Elizabeth C. Zsiga, Elizabeth C. (Georgetown University Zsiga, Zsiga Elizabeth C.
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 21.03.2024
• EAN: 9781119878483
• ISBN: 978-1-119-87848-3
• No. of pages: 640
• Series: Linguistics in the World; LAWZ - Linguistics in the World
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; Phonologie, Phonetik, Linguistics, Sprachwissenschaften, Phonology, Phonetics, Allg. Sprachwissenschaften