Edinburgh University Press An Introduction to English Phonetics (Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language)

Product Description This book introduces undergraduates to the concepts, terminology and representations needed for an understanding of how English is pronounced around the world. Assuming no prior knowledge, the book guides readers through the vocal tract and explains how sounds of speech are made. Two main forms of representation are used: phonetic transcription and simple acoustic data. As far as possible, the book is based on naturally-occurring, conversational speech so that readers are familiar with the details of everyday talk (and not just the careful pronunciations represented in dictionaries). Examples are taken from around the English-speaking world, including North America, Australia, New Zealand and varieties of British English. Introductory chapters cover the basic phonetic framework, while later chapters discuss groups of sounds in more detail. The book takes an open-minded approach to what sounds of English might be significant for making meaning, and highlights the significance of word meaning, morphology, sociolinguistics and conversational interaction in phonetic analysis. Key Features *Introductory text assuming no prior knowledge of phonetics *Informed by up to date research on naturally occurring conversational English *Focuses on phonetics as a skill and encourages the reader to reflect on their own speech *Covers a range of forms of phonetic representation. From the Back Cover An introduction to the phonetic description of spoken EnglishThe second edition of this distinguished textbook introduces undergraduates to the concepts, terminology and representations needed for an understanding of how English is pronounced around the world.Assuming no prior knowledge, this second edition guides the reader through the vocal tract and explains how the sounds of speech are made, offering an accessible and expanded introduction to areas including transcription, vowels and acoustic analysis. As far as possible, it uses naturally-occurring conversational speech so that readers are familiar with the details of everyday talk (and not just the careful pronunciations presented in dictionaries). The book also includes a new concluding chapter that works through a piece of spoken data to show the reader how a more complete phonetic analysis can be conducted.Examples are taken from around the English-speaking world, including North America, Australia, New Zealand and varieties of British English. The book takes an open-minded approach to the sounds of English that might be significant for making meaning, and highlights the significance of word meaning, morphology, sociolinguistics and conversational interaction in phonetic analysis.Key Features•Introductory text assuming no prior knowledge of phonetics•Informed by up-to-date research on naturally occurring conversational English•Focuses on phonetics as a skill and encourages the reader to reflect on own speech•Covers a range of forms of phonetic representation•Revised, updated text with new material on transcription•New chapter, ‘Sounds and Structures’, looking at phonetic patterns in conversational speech•Audio examples accessible via www.edinburghuniversitypress.com/englishphoneticsRichard Ogden is a Reader in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science at the University of York.Cover design:[EUP logo]edinburghuniversitypress.comISBN [PPC] 978-1-4744-1175-2ISBN [cover] 978-1-4744-1176-9Barcode About the Author Richard Ogden is a senior lecturer at the University of York, where he has taught phonetics since 1995. He has worked on speech synthesis, non-segmental phonology, and in more recent years on the phonetics of conversation. Among other things, he has worked on turn-taking in Finnish, agreements and disagreements in English, and Firthian phonology. His major research interests lie in how phonetic detail signals meaning of all kinds. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Phonetics at the University of Helsinki.