LING 330 - Phonetics - Summer 2013

Classes: Monday - Thursday 13:35-15:55 Instructor: Fiona Campbell E-Mail: fiona.campbell@mail.mcgill.ca May 1 - May 29 Room: Education 433

Office Hours: M - Th: 11:30-12:30 1085 Dr. Penfield, Room 204

1. Outline
This 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 International Phonetic Alphabet), identification and production of sounds of the worlds languages, as well as acoustic analysis of normal speech (using Praat). Prerequisite: LING 201 Introduction to Linguistics, or equivalent

2. Texts
Required textbook (in bookstore and on reserve in Redpath): Henry Rogers. The Sounds of Language: An Introduction to Phonetics. New York: Longman, 2000. Recommended additional reading (on reserve in Redpath): Ladefoged, P. & K. Johnson (2010) A Course in Phonetics (6th edition). Wadsworth. (The standard introductory textbook, comes with a CD) Johnson, K. (2011) Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics (3rd edition). Wiley-Blackwell. (A much more in depth treatment of the theory behind acoustic phonetics.) Ladefoged, P. & I. Maddieson (1996) The Sounds Of The Worlds Languages. WileyBlackwell. (An encyclopedia of cross-linguistic phonetic variation.) Catford, J.C. (2002) A Practical Introduction to Phonetics (2nd edition). Oxford University Press. (Useful for learning to produce different speech sounds.) Other readings will be posted on the myCourses site as necessary.

3. Evaluation
Homework assignments Midterm Exam Transcription quizzes Final exam 20% 25% 10% 45% (2 @ 10% each) Thursday, May 16, 2013 (2 @ 5% each) May 31 or June 3, 2013

Homework Assignments: Assignments can be done individually or in groups (max. 3 students per group). Group work means equal participation of all group members toward finding and writing up the solution to the problems. You may also work in a group and then submit separate assignments, however, in this case you must write them up individually and state clearly on each assignment the identities of your collaborators. Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. If you are unable to attend class on the day the assignment is due, you may leave your assignment in the Drop Off Box in the Linguistics departmental office (room 111, 1085 Penfield) any time prior to the beginning of class on the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted unless you have a certified medical excuse and have notified the instructor (by email) within 48 hours of when the assignment was due. Exams: One closed-book midterm exam will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2013 in class. Students in exceptional circumstances or those with a certified medical excuse may be allowed to write a make-up exam on the following day (May 17th) or choose to have the final exam serve as a make-up midterm and count for 70% of the final grade. This should be arranged with the instructor well in advance of the exam date where possible. The final exam will be held during the exam period of May 31 - June 3, 2013. Instructors are not permitted to make special arrangements for final exams. If, as a result of illness or exceptional circumstances, a student is unable to write a final examination, the student must contact the Associate Dean of the faculty in which he or she is registered within four days of the date of the examination. If the student is granted the option of writing a deferred examination by the Office of the Associate Dean, he/she will write the deferral approximately two weeks from the final exam date. If you have a disability, please advise the instructor and the Office for Students with Disabilities (514-398-6009) as early in the term as possible so that we can provide appropriate accommodation to support your success. Grading Policy: Exams and handwritten assignments may be written in pen or pencil, however answers that are written in pencil or that have been have written over will not be considered for re-grading.

4. Electronic logistics
Course website: The course will make use of MyCourses. Lecture notes, homework assignments, announcements and supplemental readings will be posted here so make sure you have access. Should any compatibility or access issues arise, please report them to the instructor as soon as possible. You can use the discussions forums for questions to classmates about course materials and to organize groups (max. 3 people) for homework assignments, however note that the discussion forum is not the appropriate place to discuss answers to homework questions, and will be monitored by the instructor. Emails: Please include LING 330 in the subject line of any emails and send them directly to fiona.campbell@mail.mcgill.ca (rather than using the internal myCourses system to contact me). Emails should be answered within 24 hours (except on weekends and holidays).

5. McGill Policy Statements

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. McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. French version: L'Universit McGill attache une haute importance lhonntet acadmique. Il incombe par consquent tous les tudiants de comprendre ce que l'on entend par tricherie, plagiat et autres infractions acadmiques, ainsi que les consquences que peuvent avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de l'tudiant et des procdures disciplinaires. See www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information. Please note that in the event of circumstances beyond the Universitys control, the content and/or evaluation scheme for this course is subject to change.

6. (Preliminary) Class Schedule:

Date: May 1 May 2 May 6 May 7 May 8 May 9 May 13 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 Quiz 2 Course withdrawal deadline Midterm Exam Statutory Holiday Last day to drop course (with refund) Quiz 1 HW 1 Due Events & Evaluation: Last day to register without late fee Topic: Introduction to phonetics, vocal anatomy, etc. Consonant articulation & transcription (English) Vowel articulation & transcription (English) Allophonic variation and transcription conventions Consonants (Cross-linguistic) Phonation & Airstream mechanisms Vowels (Cross-linguistic) Suprasegmentals Introduction to acoustics (No class) Acoustics of speech sounds & intro to Praat Vowel acoustics Vowels cont. Consonant acoustics Consonants cont. Speech perception Review session (Exam date & time TBA) Reading: Ch. 1 & 2 Ch. 2 & 3 Ch. 2 & 4 Ch. 3, 4, & Appendix C, D, E Ch. 10 & 11 Ch. 12 & 13 Ch. 9 Ch. 5 &14 (select sections) Ch. 7

Ch. 8 TBA TBA TBA

HW 2 Due

Final day of classes Make-up class for May 20th May 31 - Final Exam Period June 3