Introducing Phonetic Science

Cambridge Introductions to Language and Linguistics

by Michael Ashby, John Maidment

This accessible textbook provides a clear and practical introduction to phonetics, the study of speech. Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, it introduces students to the fundamental concepts in phonetic science, and equips them with the essential skills needed for recognizing, describing and transcribing a range of speech sounds. Numerous graded exercises enable students to put these skills into practice, and the sounds introduced are clearly illustrated with examples from a variety of English accents and other languages. As well as looking at traditional articulatory description, the book introduces acoustic and other instrumental techniques for analysing speech, and covers topics such as speech and writing, the nature of transcription, hearing and speech perception, linguistic universals, and the basic concepts of phonology. Providing a solid foundation in phonetics, Introducing Phonetic Science will be invaluable to all students beginning courses in linguistics, speech sciences, language pathology and language therapy. Further exercises will be available on an accompanying website.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published March 24, 2005

Reviews

[JaneJane)) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nakonec jsem skončila v polovině... Rozhodně nejde o špatné zpracování, ale pro mou zkoušku to nebyl úplně nejlepší podklad (pojetí našich hodin se spíše blížil Romportl). Pro základní obeznámení ale vhodné.))

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, easy to understand. However, ease of digestion comes at the price of (over)simplification. The book also seemed to stray well into phonology at times, further than the connections between the two fields might warrant.

This is a great choice for an easy introduction to the subject. As it includes quality problem sets at the end of every chapter and their answers at the end of the book, it could be a good choice for self study. I hate when books don't include an answer key or make you sign up for some website to get it.

Anyhow, all this coming from someone who is relieved that she will never, ever (she hopes) have to look at a phonetics book again.