The Sound Structure of English: An Introduction (Cambridge Introductions to the English Language)

The Sound Structure of English provides a clear introduction to English phonetics and phonology. Tailored to suit the needs of individual, one-term course modules, it assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, and presents the basic facts in a straightforward manner, making it the ideal text for beginners. Students are guided step-by-step through the main concepts and techniques of phonetic and phonological analysis, aided by concise chapter summaries, suggestions for further reading, and a comprehensive glossary of all the terms introduced. Each chapter is accompanied by an engaging set of exercises and discussion questions, encouraging students to consolidate and develop their learning, and providing essential self-study material. The book is accompanied by a companion website, featuring solutions to the exercises and useful additional resources. Providing the essential knowledge and skills for those embarking on the study of English sounds, it is set to become the leading introduction to the field. Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Figures......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 9 A note on using this book......Page 10 CHAPTER 1 Introduction......Page 11 1.1 Written and spoken English......Page 12 1.2 More on written and spoken English: the primacy of speech......Page 13 1.3 Speech as a system......Page 15 1.4 Accent and dialect......Page 17 1.5 More on systems and structure......Page 18 1.6 Phonetic observation and phonological generalisation......Page 20 1.7 Transcription types......Page 22 CHAPTER 2 Consonants (1): contrastiveness......Page 29 2.1 Contrastiveness (and similarity)......Page 30 2.2 Consonants, vowels, segments, lettersthinsp...and noise......Page 32 2.3 More on consonants, contrastiveness and function......Page 34 2.4 Minimal pairs......Page 38 CHAPTER 3 Consonants (2): classification......Page 44 3.1 Voice......Page 45 3.2 Manner......Page 47 3.3 Place......Page 50 CHAPTER 4 Consonants (3): distribution......Page 61 4.1 Consonant distribution and intuitions about syllables......Page 62 4.2 A first look at allophones......Page 65 4.3 A note on the glottal stop......Page 67 4.4 Recap on consonants......Page 68 CHAPTER 5 Syllables (1): introduction......Page 72 5.1 Preliminaries, and a note on schwa......Page 73 5.2 Lexical and non-lexical monosyllables......Page 77 5.3 A further note on English stress......Page 79 CHAPTER 6 Syllables (2): constituents......Page 84 6.1 The constituents of English syllables......Page 85 6.2 Sonority, classes and openness......Page 91 6.3 A note on syllables and typology......Page 98 CHAPTER 7 Syllables (3): structure......Page 101 7.1 More on the structure of the onset......Page 102 7.2 More on the structure of the coda......Page 105 7.3 More on the structure of the nucleus......Page 107 7.4 Syllabification; light and heavy syllables......Page 111 CHAPTER 8 Vowels (1): short vowels......Page 117 8.1 Establishing an inventory of short vowels......Page 118 8.2 Schwa, and other vowels in unstressed syllables......Page 130 CHAPTER 9 Vowels (2): long vowels and diphthongs......Page 137 9.1 Describing long vowels and diphthongs......Page 138 9.2 Establishing an inventory of long vowels......Page 140 9.3 A tour of long vowels......Page 146 9.4 Diphthongs, non-centring......Page 150 9.5 Diphthongs, centring......Page 152 9.6 A note on triphthongs......Page 154 CHAPTER 10 Vowels (3): variation......Page 158 10.1 Variation: synchrony and diachrony......Page 159 10.2 Historical variation in short vowel systems: splits and mergers......Page 163 10.3 Historical variation in long vowel systems: vowel (a)symmetries......Page 168 10.4 Synchronic variation: the case of /a/ and /^/......Page 172 10.5 Synchronic variation: happY-tensing......Page 177 10.6 Long vowels, short vowels, and the problem of rhoticity......Page 182 CHAPTER 11 Problems, theories and representations......Page 190 11.1 Syllabic codas and distinctive feature theory......Page 191 11.2 A first look at distinctive features and phonological rules......Page 193 11.3 A first look at major class features......Page 200 11.4 Some problems with features and rules......Page 202 11.5 Optimality Theory (OT)......Page 209 (1) Neutralisation......Page 211 (2) Onsets......Page 213 (3) Intrusive ‘r’......Page 216 Appendix: the IPA......Page 222 Glossary of key terms......Page 223 References......Page 237 Index of topics......Page 240 1. Introduction 2. Consonants (1): contrastiveness 3. Consonants (2): classification 4. Consonants (3): classification 5. Syllables (1): introduction 6. Syllables (2): constituents 7. Syllables (3): structure 8. Vowels (1): short vowels 9. Vowels (2): long vowels and diphthongs 10. Vowels (3): variation 11. Problems, theories and representations Appendix: symbols used in transcription Glossary Index References. A clear introduction to English phonetics and phonology, tailored to suit the needs of individual, one-term course modules. Contains exercises, discussion questions, a comprehensive glossary of each term introduced, and has a helpful companion website. An essential text for all those embarking on the study of English sounds at undergraduate level.