FPF:UCJANGBP12 English Phonetics - Course Information

UCJANGBP12 English Phonetics

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Gabriela Entlová, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

doc. PhDr. Pavel Kolář, CSc.
Institute of Foreign Languages – Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava

Timetable

Mon 14:45–15:30 M10

• Timetable of Seminar Groups:

UCJANGBP12/A: Mon 15:35–16:20 M10, G. Entlová

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• English (programme FPF, ANGbp)

Course objectives

The aim of the course is to gain the ability to identify English sounds and their correct pronunciation and to understand the phonological system of English pronunciation in comparison to the Czech phonological system. This course will provide the students with a theoretical background for the phonological system of the English language and then practices this theoretical knowledge in seminars, where the fluent spoken English is emphasised. Students will learn to master phonological transcription and reading a coherent text.

Learning outcomes

The student will learn principles of the fluent spoken English, master phonological transcription and reading of a coherent text.

Syllabus

• 1. Introduction: Phonemes and other aspects of pronunciation, accents, dialects. 2. The production of speech sounds: articulators above the larynx, vowel and consonant, English short vowels. 3. Long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs: English long vowels, diphthongs, triphthongs. 4. Voicing and consonants: The larynx, Respiration and voicing, Plosives, English plosives, fortis and lenis. 5. Phonemes and symbols: The phoneme, Symbols and transcription, Phonology. 6. Fricatives and affrricates: Classification and production of fricatives and affricates, problematic issues when pronouncing English dental fircatives, fortis consonants. 7. Nasals and other consonants: nasals, Lateral l, the sonorant r, the approximants j and w. 8. The syllable: the nature the syllable, the structure of the English syllable, syllable division, Strong and weak syllables, the vowel ‘schwa’, close front and close back vowels, syllabic consonants. 9. Stress: stress in simple words, the nature of stress, levels of stress, placement of stress within the word. Complex word stress: complex words, suffixes, prefixes, compound words, variable stress, word-class pairs. 10. Weak forms: strong and weak forms of pronunciation. 11. Aspects of connected speech: rhythm, assimilation, elision, linking. 12. Intonation: form and function in intonation, tone and languages, complex tones and pitch height, some functions of English tones, tones on other words, the tone-unit and its structure, pitch possibilities in the simple tone-unit. 13. Intonation 2: Fall-rise and rise-fall tones followed by a tail, high and low heads, problems in analysing the form of intonation, the attitudinal function of intonation, the accentual, the grammatical and the discourse functions of intonation. Varieties of English pronunciation: geographical variation.

Literature

required literature
• Roach, P. (2009) English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course. 4th ed. Cambridge: CUP.

recommended literature
• Büring, D. (2016). Intonation and Meaning. Oxford: OUP.
• Wells, J. C. (2016). Sounds Fascinating: Further Observations on English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: CUP.
• Wayland, R. (2018). Phonetics: A Practical Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.
• BBC Learning pronunciation course - http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation

Teaching methods

lectures, seminars, speaking, reading, writing, transcribing, homework

Assessment methods

75% seminar attendance, written test, oral exam

Language of instruction

English

• Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2022, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fpf/summer2022/UCJANGBP12