The Sound Structure of English: An Introduction (Cambridge Introductions to the English Language)

✍ Scribed by Chris McCully

• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 243
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The Sound Structure of English provides a clear introduction to English phonetics and phonology. Tailored to suit the needs of individual, one-term course modules, it assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, and presents the basic facts in a straightforward manner, making it the ideal text for beginners. Students are guided step-by-step through the main concepts and techniques of phonetic and phonological analysis, aided by concise chapter summaries, suggestions for further reading, and a comprehensive glossary of all the terms introduced. Each chapter is accompanied by an engaging set of exercises and discussion questions, encouraging students to consolidate and develop their learning, and providing essential self-study material. The book is accompanied by a companion website, featuring solutions to the exercises and useful additional resources. Providing the essential knowledge and skills for those embarking on the study of English sounds, it is set to become the leading introduction to the field.

✦ Table of Contents

Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Figures......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 9
A note on using this book......Page 10
CHAPTER 1 Introduction......Page 11
1.1 Written and spoken English......Page 12
1.2 More on written and spoken English: the primacy of speech......Page 13
1.3 Speech as a system......Page 15
1.4 Accent and dialect......Page 17
1.5 More on systems and structure......Page 18
1.6 Phonetic observation and phonological generalisation......Page 20
1.7 Transcription types......Page 22
CHAPTER 2 Consonants (1): contrastiveness......Page 29
2.1 Contrastiveness (and similarity)......Page 30
2.2 Consonants, vowels, segments, lettersthinsp…and noise......Page 32
2.3 More on consonants, contrastiveness and function......Page 34
2.4 Minimal pairs......Page 38
CHAPTER 3 Consonants (2): classification......Page 44
3.1 Voice......Page 45
3.2 Manner......Page 47
3.3 Place......Page 50
CHAPTER 4 Consonants (3): distribution......Page 61
4.1 Consonant distribution and intuitions about syllables......Page 62
4.2 A first look at allophones......Page 65
4.3 A note on the glottal stop......Page 67
4.4 Recap on consonants......Page 68
CHAPTER 5 Syllables (1): introduction......Page 72
5.1 Preliminaries, and a note on schwa......Page 73
5.2 Lexical and non-lexical monosyllables......Page 77
5.3 A further note on English stress......Page 79
CHAPTER 6 Syllables (2): constituents......Page 84
6.1 The constituents of English syllables......Page 85
6.2 Sonority, classes and openness......Page 91
6.3 A note on syllables and typology......Page 98
CHAPTER 7 Syllables (3): structure......Page 101
7.1 More on the structure of the onset......Page 102
7.2 More on the structure of the coda......Page 105
7.3 More on the structure of the nucleus......Page 107
7.4 Syllabification; light and heavy syllables......Page 111
CHAPTER 8 Vowels (1): short vowels......Page 117
8.1 Establishing an inventory of short vowels......Page 118
8.2 Schwa, and other vowels in unstressed syllables......Page 130
CHAPTER 9 Vowels (2): long vowels and diphthongs......Page 137
9.1 Describing long vowels and diphthongs......Page 138
9.2 Establishing an inventory of long vowels......Page 140
9.3 A tour of long vowels......Page 146
9.4 Diphthongs, non-centring......Page 150
9.5 Diphthongs, centring......Page 152
9.6 A note on triphthongs......Page 154
CHAPTER 10 Vowels (3): variation......Page 158
10.1 Variation: synchrony and diachrony......Page 159
10.2 Historical variation in short vowel systems: splits and mergers......Page 163
10.3 Historical variation in long vowel systems: vowel (a)symmetries......Page 168
10.4 Synchronic variation: the case of /a/ and /^/......Page 172
10.5 Synchronic variation: happY-tensing......Page 177
10.6 Long vowels, short vowels, and the problem of rhoticity......Page 182
CHAPTER 11 Problems, theories and representations......Page 190
11.1 Syllabic codas and distinctive feature theory......Page 191
11.2 A first look at distinctive features and phonological rules......Page 193
11.3 A first look at major class features......Page 200
11.4 Some problems with features and rules......Page 202
11.5 Optimality Theory (OT)......Page 209
(1) Neutralisation......Page 211
(2) Onsets......Page 213
(3) Intrusive ‘r’......Page 216
Appendix: the IPA......Page 222
Glossary of key terms......Page 223
References......Page 237
Index of topics......Page 240