Admission requirements
Students have taken and passed a BA-course on phonetics (e.g., Linguistics 1: “The Phonetics of English”).
Description
“The Phonology of English” is a mandatory course for second year BA Students of English Language and Culture. It is concerned with the relationship between phonetic and phonoligical structure, building on the knowledge that you acquired in the first-year course “Linguistics 1: The Phonetics of English”. We will assume familiarity with phonetic terminology and phonemic transcriptions.
The focus of the course will be on the internal structure of speech sounds, on the phonological organisation of these sounds into syllables and on the relationship between phonology and the structure of morphologically complex words.
Each week, the lecture introduces phonological concepts and terminology that will be applied to the phonological processes and problem solving exercises that will be dicussed in the tutorial. As a preparation for each lecture and tutorial, you read a book chapter and you prepare exercises or short assignments at home.
Course objectives
The first course aim is to introduce the general terminology and principles of phonological theory. In the first few weeks, you will read one book chapter each week and do exercises in those chapters to familiarize yourself with phonological terminology and to practice using theoretical concepts to talk about phonological processes in English and other languages.
The second objective of the course is to acquire a basic knowledge of phonological representations of segments and syllables and to understand the basic principles behind segmental processes such as assimilation. You will also develop a better understanding of the allophonic behaviour of English speech sounds and we will teach you the skills of relating data to theory.
The third course objective is to develop and train your academic and linguistic problem-solving skills. For this reason, you will do exercises and assignments that are intended to help you to think about the theories discussed by focusing your attention on particular analyses of phonological processes.
In the final examination you will be able to show that you can read and interpret the relevant literature on phonological theory and that you gained insights into the relationship between phonology and the structure of morphologically complex words. You will show that you can apply your knowledge to small data sets which you will be able to analyse.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lecture (1 hour per week)
Seminar (1 hour per week)
Assessment method
Assessment
Written mid-term examniation with closed questions and essay questions
Written final examination with essay questions and transcription
Attendance is compulsory. Missing more than two tutorials means that students will be excluded from the tutorials. Unauthorized absence also applies to being unprepared, not participating and/or not bringing the relevant course materials to class.
Weighing
One-hour written mid-term examination (30%)
Two-hour end-of-term examination (70%)
The mid-term exam counts only if the mark obtained for it is higher than the mark obtained for the final exam. If the mark for the mid-term exam is lower than than of the final exam, the final exam counts for 100%. To pass this course, a minimum mark of 5.5 is required.
Resit
The end-of-term exam can be retaken if the final mark for the course is 5.49 or less.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Knight, Rachel-Anne (2012). Phonetics: A coursebook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521732444
Other readings will be provided.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website.
Registration Studeren à la carte en Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte.
Registration Contractonderwijs.
Not applicable.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Student administration Arsenaal