This class will focus primarily on the two main standard varieties of spoken English: British Non-Regional Pronunciation, and General American English. The sound systems of these two varieties (i.e. their individual vowels and consonants, and how they interact) will be studied – first for isolated words, then for connected speech. Learning to read and produce IPA transcriptions will be another important aim of this course. Where it is appropriate, English and German will be compared to each other to highlight teaching/learning difficulties and find possible solutions. While this is not primarily a pronunciation class, the study of phonetics and phonology will help you improve your own pronunciation and equip you with the knowledge needed to teach English pronunciation to students.
The course book (which all students must have) is: Collins, Beverly and Inger M. Mees. 2013. Practical Phonetics and Phonology: A Resource Book for Students. 3rd ed. London: Routledge. (ISBN 978-0415506496) – Please make sure you buy this edition!
The following book is recommended as a reference: Roach, Peter, Jane Setter and John Esling (eds). 2011. Daniel Jones: Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. 18th edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (ISBN 978-0521152556; pb with CD-ROM) |
