Introducing Phonology

Cambridge Introductions to Language and Linguistics

by David Odden

This accessible textbook provides a clear and practical introduction to phonology, the study of sound patterns in language. Designed for undergraduates with only a basic knowledge of linguistics, it logically develops the techniques of phonological analysis. Over sixty graded exercises encourage students to make their own analyses of phonological patterns and processes, based on extensive data and problem sets from a variety of languages.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Read For School

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 13, 1994

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Odden's INTRODUCING PHONOLOGY (Cambridge University Press, 2005) is a textbook designed for undergraduates with just a basic linguistics course behind them. After the elementary matters of phonemes and allophones, Odden covers the rigours fo feature theory, phonological typology and naturalness. The final chapter on nonlinear representations makes a case for reconceptualizing data instead of ignoring troublesome facts, thus furthering theory.

Though I haven't made an exhaustive survey, Odden's is the best basic textbook of phonology that I have come across. It certain proves friendlier than the entry in the Cambridge Textbooks of Linguistics (red cover) line. He certain seems determined to turn out competent linguists of the future, as he goes through the steps of doing an analysis over and over again.

Odden is an Africanist, and the wealth of little-known African languages he has assembled here for example makes this an especially intriguing textbook. However, he also teaches basic principles through English, Russian, Finnish, and many more European languages. The wide-ranging and very challenging exercises further make this an excellent textbook. I've been in linguistics for years now, but I still profit from Odden's book, as going over the exercises once in a while keeps my skills sharp. It merits a look from not just first-year undergraduates.

Odden's textbook doesn't go too deep into the theory debate. Optimality Theory is mentioned a few times but never much described. However, he does give some recommendations for further reading after each chapter, so the reader will be able to go on to more specific material.

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odden needs to take a page from Psychologists and write a better textbook. A fellow classmate said he got a different phonology book and was reading that instead and the material made more sense to him. I'm not sure what exactly about the layout was so unappealing, but this book didn't make for very interesting or easy reading. Perhaps it's because the concepts being covered aren't that difficult, and can't help but be dry. I didn't think the end of chapter exercises were very helpful, either. Some of the questions were "what are all of the phonological processes?", followed by two full pages of data. When I asked my T.A. if we would ever be asked that kind of question on a test or an assignment, she said "How could we? That doesn't even make sense."

[Tuan Do · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adding this book as a complementary reading material to my linguistic courses, the content of the book to some extent satisfied me. For folks who have some linguistic background, e.g. have taken any intro course, the material might be easy to understand. For ones haven't, like me, the material is a little bit overwhelming. Coming straight from some phonetic sessions given for computational linguistic graduates, I found the content in the book is a little bit disorganized, and hard to follow. Some chapters, such as chap. 6 is still provide thoughtful but joyful moment for me.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful overview of phonology, but very dry. You need an IPA chart available to follow the analysis and phonological rules he describes throughout the chapters otherwise it is easy to get lost in the detailed analysis.

[Kenneth Trease · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of this book, though I'm told it's one of the best Phonology texts out there.

I'm in general dismayed with the quality of pedagogical materials in linguistics. The text is interesting, if a bit dry, but the problem sets are poorly organized. The occasional page break would go a long way to making the problems easier to deal with, with less flipping back and forth (it seems there's constantly the first half of a problem on one side, the second half on the next page.)

And would it have killed the authors/publishers to just include a nice feature chart on one of the end-flaps? I realize not all phonologists use the same feature set, but it seems like all the problems in the book could share one, and stop us from flipping back and forth through the early chapters to solve problems.

Finally, why use APA throughout the text, while giving us an IPA chart to use? One or the other, but why switch for no apparent reason?

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright as textbooks go. Easy to read, but not particularly clear or unclear. And it's printed on good paper, a feature I'm beginning to value as much as the content. No squirming about dodging cheap paper glare here!

[Arie Toursino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lumayan buat pengantar kalau mau belajar fonologi.

[Hanoo Hanoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

helpful to some extent

[Sulniati Kahembau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to look for the meaning of phonology, phonetics and phonema in third book .