In this course we will review some classical texts on the phonetics of second and foreign language acquisition, and then move on to a more systematic treatment of current views on the topic, notably Flege’s Speech Learning Model, Kuhl’s Native Language Perceptual Magnet Model and Best’s Perceptual Assimilation Model. In the second part of the course we will shift the emphasis on the communicative effects of foreign-accented speech, in terms of (loss of) intelligibility due to specific deviations from the native norm.
Timetable
Check the website of of the Linguistics Department for the Lecture Timetable.
Literature
Students will be required to read original publications published in the professional literature. Book chapters and articles will be made available in electronic form (PDF) on the Blackboard site of the course. A time schedule will be published on the Blackboard site.
Examination
Students will submit weekly practical assignments and take a written test at the end of the course.
As a final assignment students will write a critical summary of a recent book (or dissertation).