Linguistics : Phonetics Winter

Monday, Wednesday, Friday .., Burnside B

Instructor: Teaching assistants:
Movc: Souivicciv Bvi: BUccoi: Fio: C:mvviii
Oce: Linguistics, Rm Linguistics, Rm Linguistics, Rm
Telephone: -, x
Email: morgan.sonderegger@mcgill.ca {brian.buccola, fiona.campbell}@mail.mcgill.ca
Oce hours: , or by appointment W TBA (alternating)
1 Outline
is course provides an introduction to speech production and perception, with an emphasis on foundational practical
and conceptual skills for the study of phonetics and phonology. We will spend about half the course on how sounds are
produced by the vocal tract (articulatory phonetics), and half on the acoustic properties of sounds (acoustic phonetics)
and how they are perceived by humans (auditory phonetics). Students will be trained in transcription (using Interna-
tional Phonetic Alphabet), identication, and production of sounds of the worlds languages, as well as acoustic analysis
of normal speech (using Praat). e acoustic theory of speech production will be covered in detail, as well as the basics
of speech perception.
2 Texts
Required textbooks (in bookstore and on reserve in Redpath):
Ladefoged, P. & K. Johnson () A Course in Phonetics (th edition). Wadsworth.
Johnson, K. () Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics (rd edition). Wiley-Blackwell.
Recommended additional reading (on reserve in Redpath, or available as an e-resource):
Ladefoged, P. & S.F. Disner () Vowels and Consonants (rd edition). Wiley-Blackwell.
(Gentler than A Course in Phonetics, and slightly dierent topics.)
Ladefoged, P. & I. Maddieson () e Sounds Of e Worlds Languages. Wiley-Blackwell.
(An encyclopedia of cross-linguistic phonetic variation.)
Catford, J.C. () A Practical Introduction to Phonetics (nd edition). Oxford University Press.
(Useful for learning to produce dierent speech sounds.)
Other readings will be posted on the myCourses site as necessary.
3 Electronic logistics
Course website: On myCourses. Make sure you have access.
Emails:
Please include LING in the subject line of emails to course sta.
We will attempt to respond to emails within hours on weekdays (usually sooner). We cannot guarantee re-
sponses to emails during weekends or holidays.
Please do not email both your TA and the instructor the same question, as it duplicates work for us.
Clickers: Please bring yours to each lecture. If this is your rst course with a clicker, make sure to register it.
4 Evaluation
assignments ( each)
Midterm exam
Final exam
5 McGill Policy Statements
McGill University values academic integrity. erefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences
of cheating, plagiarism and other academic oences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures
(see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information).
In accord with McGill Universitys Charter of Students Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English
or in French any written work that is to be graded.
Instructor generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions, etc.) are protected by law and
may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium without explicit permission of the instructor. Note
that infringements of copyright can be subject to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and
Disciplinary Procedures.
If you have a disability please contact the instructor to arrange a time to discuss your situation. It would be helpful if
you rst contact the Oce for Students with Disabilities (Redpath Library, Rm RS).
In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the Universitys control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in
this course is subject to change.
6 Procedures
Conferences:
Conferences are held on Fridays, starting in Week on January . Each TA will teach two conferences, one at
the lecture time and one at a dierent time (Brian at : and Fiona at :).
You should register for a conference section on Minerva this week, following an announcement (by email and in
class) that registration has been opened. is will happen once all requests to add the course have been processed
(hopefully by Wed, Jan ). Once you have signed up for a conference section, you cannot switch. Once a section
has a certain number of students, no more students will be accepted into that section.
You are responsible for the material covered in the conferences, just as you are responsible for the material covered
in the lectures. If for some reason you cannot attend a conference (or lecture), ensure that you get the relevant
notes from a classmate.
Assignments:
Assignments can be done in groups (max. students per group, all fromthe same conference). Each student must
turn in a separate assignment which he/she wrote up individually, with the students he/she worked with listed.
Assignments are due on Fridays at :, and will typically be returned in your next conference. You can hand in
your assignment to your TA in your conference, or place it in the drop-box in the Linguistics photocopy room
(rm , Peneld) by : on the due date. (Note that the department oce, including photocopy room,
closes at :.) Assignments which are completely digital (i.e., not scans of handwritten assignments) may be
submitted electronically to your TA by : on the due date.
We suggest you keep a copy of each nished assignment in case the submitted copy is accidentally lost.
Attendance:
You are responsible for all material covered in lectures and conferences (as well as assignments). us, if you
cannot attend a lecture or conference, ensure that you get the relevant notes from a classmate.

Midterm Exam:
e midterm is scheduled for Monday February , from ::, in Maass .
A make-up midterm will be arranged for students who have a conict with the midterm as scheduled. To be
eligible, students must be registered in PHAR , which is a conicting course with higher priority. Students
who qualify must let the instructor know by email no later than Feb. .
Late Assignments and Missed Exams:
Late assignments will not be accepted unless you have a certied medical excuse and we have been notied within
hours of when the assignment was due.
We must be notied within hours of a missed exam. No make-up exam will be given to anyone who does not
have a certied medical excuse.
To notify us in either case, you can leave messages at - (even in the evenings and on weekends) and send
the instructor email, preferably both.
Marking:
Exams and handwritten assignments should be written in pen. Answers on assignments or exams that are written
in pencil or that have been have written over will not be considered for re-grading.
Any issue about grading must be addressed withintwo weeks of the date whenthe assignment/examwas returned.
7 Tutors
If you feel that you need more individual attention than the instructor and TAs can provide, you can contact the Student
Tutorial Service (-, tutoring.service@mcgill.ca) or contact SLUM (Society of Linguistics Undergraduates
of McGill; slum.tutoring@gmail.com).

Course schedule
W Dn1v Evntcn1:oN Tov:cs Rvno:Nc

M Jan Introduction
W Jan Articulation L&J Ch
F Jan Transcribing English I L&J Ch

M Jan Transcribing English II

W Jan Transcribing English III
F Jan A posted Conference

M Jan Allophonic variation TBA

W Jan Aerodynamics, airstreams, phonation L&J Ch
F Jan A due Conference

M Jan Consonants cross-linguistically I L&J Ch

W Jan Consonants cross-linguistically II
F Feb Conference

M Feb Consonants cross-linguistically III

W Feb Vowels cross-linguistically I L&J Ch
F Feb A posted Conference

M Feb Vowels cross-linguistically I

W Feb Suprasegmentals cross-linguistically I L&J Ch ,
F Feb A due Conference

M Feb Midterm (eve) Suprasegmentals cross-linguistically II

W Feb Basic acoustics I J Ch
F Feb Conference

M Feb Basic acoustics II

W Feb Basic speech acoustics I J Ch
F Mar Midterm returned
A posted
Conference
Break Mar

M Mar Basic speech acoustics II

W Mar Baby digital signal processing J Ch
F Mar A due Conference

M Mar Vowel acoustics I J Ch

W Mar Vowel acoustics II
F Mar Conference

M Mar Fricative and phonation acoustics I J Ch

W Mar A posted Fricative and phonation acoustics II
Easter Mar Apr

W Apr Stop and aricate acoustics I J Ch

F Apr A due Conference

M Apr A posted Stop and aricate acoustics I

W Apr Audition J Ch
F Apr Perception I J Ch

M Apr Perception II
T Apr A due Conference