Introducing Phonetic Science

Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, this textbook provides a clear and practical introduction to phonetics, the study of speech. Students are provided with the essential skills needed for recognising, describing and transcribing a range of speech sounds.

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.

The book is designed as an introduction to the scientific study of speech. No prior knowledge of phonetics is assumed. As far as mathematical knowlege is concerned, all that is assumed is a knowledge of simple arithmetic and as far as possible concepts are dealt with on an intuitive rather than mathematical level. The anatomical material is all fully explained and illustrated. The book is arranged in four parts. Part 1, Basic Principles, provides an introduction to established phonetic theory and to the principles of phonetic analysis and description, including phonetic transcription. Part 2, Acoustic Phonetics, considers the physical nature of speech sounds as they pass through the air between speaker and hearer. It includes sections on temporal measurement, fundamental frequency, spectra and spectrograms. Part 3, Auditory Phonetics, covers the anatomy of the ear and the perception of loudness, pitch and quality. The final part, Part 4, covers the articulatory production of speech, and shows how experimental techniques and tools can enhance our understanding of the complexities of speech production. Though the audience for this book is mainly students and professors in the Speech Sciences, it will also be valuable to any students studying hearing science and acoustics. The book is well supported with figures, tables, and practice boxes with experiments.

Phonetic Science for Clinical Practice, Second Edition is designed to serve as an introductory, one-term textbook for undergraduate phonetics courses in communication sciences and disorders. The text introduces the fundamental tool of transcription, the International Phonetic Alphabet, while also presenting the science underlying that set of symbols. The goal of this text is to teach students how to think about the data being transcribed—in other words, how to think like a phonetician. Every chapter begins with learning objectives and an “Applied Science” feature, which presents a research- or clinical-based question that can be answered by applying the phonetic science concepts covered in that chapter. By the end of the chapter, students will revisit the question and be asked to solve the problem posed. Students studying communication sciences and disorders, practicing speech-language pathologists, and audiologists will be more successful in their clinical work if they understand the science that underlies the tool of transcription. Each chapter also offers several diverse clinical examples to review the application of concepts covered. Key Features * Focused on practical, clinical application and the information needed for clinical practice * “Did You Get It?” comprehension checks on the material throughout each chapter * “Applied Science” sections at the beginning and end each chapter to increase students’ curiosity about the topic of the chapter, concluding with real-world clinical solutions New to the Second Edition * Transcription readiness quiz (Chapter 1) with accompanying tutorials * New information about disordered speech and developmental speech errors that affect consonants (Chapter 7) and new section about developmental speech errors that affect vowels (Chapter 8) * 12 new audio case studies that students can use to practice transcribing errors in typical speech development * 12 new video case studies that students can use to practice transcribing disordered speech Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content such as study aids, flashcards, audio maps, and quizzes are not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, this textbook provides a clear and practical introduction to phonetics, the study of speech. Students are provided with the essential skills needed for recognising, describing and transcribing a range of speech sounds.

Traditionally, investigations into speech and pronounciation have relied on the unaided skills of the phonetician in recognising and reproducing speech sounds. But many practicioners are now using instruments to gain a greater understanding of speech and to be able to analyse speech patterns in situations when speaking and hearing would otherwise be inaccessible without the use of these instruments. This new book looks at how this form of investigation has developed, and considers the types of data that can be used and which questions can be solved using experimental phonetics.

In their comprehensive new introduction to phonetics, Ball and Rahilly offer a detailed explanation of the process of speech production, from the anatomical initiation of sounds and their modification in the larynx, through to the final articulation of vowels and consonants in the oral and nasal tracts. This textbook is one of the few to give a balanced account of segmental and suprasegmental aspects of speech, showing clearly that the communication chain is incomplete without accurate production of both individual speech sounds (segmental features) and aspects such as stress and intonation (suprasegmental features). Throughout the book the authors provide advice on transcription, primarily using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Students are expertly guided from basic attempts to record speech sounds on paper, to more refined accounts of phonetic detail in speech. The authors go on to explain acoustic phonetics in a manner accessible both to new students in phonetics, and to those who wish to advance their knowledge of key pursuits in the area, including the sound spectrograph. They describe how speech waves can be measured, as well as considering how they are heard and decoded by listeners, discussing both physiological and neurological aspects of hearing and examining the methods of psychoacoustic experimentation. A range of instrumentation for studying speech production is also presented. The next link is acoustic phonetics, the study of speech transmission. Here the authors introduce the basic concepts of sound acoustics and the instrumentation used to analyse the characteristics of speech waves. Finally, the chain is completed by examining auditory phonetics, and providing a fascinating psychoacoustic experimentation, used to determine what parts of the speech signal are most crucial for listener understanding. The book concludes with a comprehensive survey and description of modern phonetic instrumentation, from the sound spectrograph to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, this textbook provides a clear and practical introduction to phonetics, the study of speech. Students are provided with the essential skills needed for recognising, describing and transcribing a range of speech sounds.