122052 PS PS Linguistics (2018S)

“Pronunciation is perhaps the linguistic feature most open to judgment. As a surface structure phenomenon that is most noticeable, one’s accent easily evokes people’s biases” (Canagarajah 2005: 365).

Taking the area of phonetics and phonology as an example, this course provides students with more detailed insights into one area of linguistics and prepares them for their first small-scale research project. Students will acquire a basic knowledge of phonetics and phonology, develop skills in the linguistic analysis of pronunciation, challenge and question their preconceived assumptions about accents different from the standard pronunciation, and learn to approach pronunciation-related questions in a systematic and objective way.

After introducing basic concepts related to the area of phonetics and phonology, we will explore the topic from different angles, such as socio-phonetics (including social, regional, ethnic and stylistic variation), L2 phonology, and phonemes ‘in context’ (e.g. assimilation). In addition, we will discuss the process of empirical research and look at methods of data collection and analysis in phonetics and phonology as well as at available online resources (e.g. the Speech Accent Archive).

Some of the questions we will investigate in the course of the term are:
- How can we describe social/regional/ethnic/stylistic phonetic and phonological variation?
- How can we explain features of a foreign accent from the perspective of L2 phonology?
- How can we explain the actual physical realisation of a certain phoneme based on its surrounding phonological context?

In addition to exploring these questions and learning about research in phonetics/phonology, participants will also learn how to find relevant literature on a specific research topic/question, critically analyse and reflect on existing research in the field and collect first experience in planning, conducting and writing up a small-scale linguistic research project.

This course combines lecturer input, sample analyses of relevant material, assignments, group work, discussions and student presentations.