Phonetics & Phonology (CSD 2209) - CHPSW - Temple University

Spring 2012 Preliminary Syllabus for Temple University
Phonetics & Phonology (CSD 2209)
Sections 001, 002
Dr. Brian D. McHugh, Associate Professor
Times: TTh 8-9:40 (section 001), 1:30-3:10 (section 002)
Classrooms: RH 211 (section 001), WH 351 (section 002)
Office hours: 3:30-4:30 and by appointment:
• To set up an appointment, best to email me or talk to me after class,
or use the signup sheet often posted on my office door.
• Check Temple's online courseware system, Blackboard (Bbd), for any changes in ofc hrs.
Office: Weiss 115
Telephone: 215-204-8774 (1-8774 on campus)
Email: bmchugh@temple.edu
Required Texts: Small, Larry H. (2012) Fundamentals of Phonetics: A Practical Guide for Students, 3 rd ed.,
Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2005. (abbreviated S) ISBN 9780132582100 (book only) or
9780132700641 (book & CD).
Davenport, Mike & S.J. Hannahs (2005) Introducing Phonetics & Phonology, 3 rd ed.,
Hodder Arnold. ISBN 9781444109887. (abbreviated D&H)
Add’l Readings: Readings from other sources are posted on Bbd, accessible through tuportal.temple.edu.
Prerequisite: Comm Sci 1108 or the equivalent.
Purpose of the course: This course examines phonetics & phonology, the subsystems of language that
govern (1) the physical properties of speech sounds and (2) the cognitive representation and function of speech
sounds in the grammatical system that underlies spoken language. The learning outcomes this course is
designed for are detailed on the KASA document that forms the last page of this syllabus, but broadly they
amount to (1) the acquisition of a body of knowledge relating to phonetic taxonomy, (2) the mastery of
techniques of data description & analysis in phonetics (the study of speech production & perception), (3)
analytical reasoning skills, and (4) techniques of data description & analysis in phonology. Your success in
achieving these outcomes is evaluated on the basis of your performance on a series of exams that measure (1)
memorization of a body of taxonomic knowledge, (2) analytical skills & application of knowledge to the
tasks of phonetic transcription and phonological problem solving.
In other words, mastery of the knowledge & skills taught in this course will enable you to
(a) describe & understand the mechanics of the speech sounds of English & many other languages
(b) transcribe words, phrases or sentences of English broadly & narrowly,
(c) do phonemic analysis of data sets from one or more languages,
(d) know the major distinctive features & use them appropriately as a tool for distinguishing sounds &
formulating phonological rules & constraints,
(e) interpret & generate phonological rule notation & identify phonological process types rules belong to,
(f) know the components of the syllable, draw syllable structure trees & syllabify words, and
(g) have some understanding of how to work with rule ordering (or constraint ranking), derivations, and rule
evidence from alternations rather than phonemic analysis.
KASA: On Bbd, in the same folder as the syllabus, you will find a form that satisfies the latest bureaucratic
demands of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). If you are taking this course as a
prerequisite for graduate study in speech-language pathology or audiology, you must retain & fill out this form,
which will become part of a portfolio you will eventually need for certification in the field. If you are not going
into this field and are absolutely certain that you will never want ASHA certification, you may ignore the form.

CSD 2209: Phonetics & Phonology McHugh, Spring 2012
Requirements & grading: You will be assigned a series of approximately 12-14 ungraded homework
assignments designed to give you practice with the material, of which you may miss two without penalty. Bring
a highlighter every day to make in-class corrections as we go over the homework.
Examinations: There will be two in-class midterm exams: the first exam will cover phonetic taxonomy
(terminology & concepts), while the second exam will cover featural and phonemic analysis. In addition, there
will be a Final Exam with both in-class and take-home portions, which will focus primarily on phonetic
transcription and more advanced phonological analysis. I may add a few short quizzes to be graded in class. If,
for some extraordinary reason, you cannot take a test on the designated date, you must notify me in advance
of the test and provide adequate documentation of your reason in order to arrange an alternative time. Makeup
exams will be nearly all-essay and given during Finals Week.
Final research project: Throughout the semester you will work in groups on the phonetics and phonology
of an assigned language, presenting your findings to the class at the end of the semester.
Participation: Regular attendance is absolutely essential to your passing the course, as I will often present
material, explanations or activities in class that are not duplicated in the readings. Conversely, there may be
material in the readings that is not fully covered in class, but which you are expected to learn by doing
homework assignments and asking questions in class, by email, or during office hours & appointments. I will
therefore be keeping track of your attendance and making note of how active a role you are taking in your
learning process by means of either in-class, homework, email or office-hour participation. You may miss up to
three classes without penalty.
Course grades will likely be based on the following relative weighting:
Participation/Homework/Attendance 20% Final Project 10%
Non-final Exams (and any quizzes) 40% Final Exam 30%
Statement for Students with Disabilities:
Every effort will be made to accommodate students with disabilities. Documentation from the Office of
Disability Resources and Services (DRS) must be presented well in advance of the first exam. For more
information or to contact DRS, call 215-204-8531 (1-8531) or visit their website: www.temple.edu/disability/
Examination Policy for Non-native Speakers of English:
It is the policy of the Communication Sciences Department to allow students whose native language is not
English extra time for the completion of in-class exams. I will also be happy to explain to you any unfamiliar
vocabulary or phrasings in my exam questions.
Policy on Academic Honesty:
See the Temple University Code of Conduct, widely available from your student materials, student bulletin, the
Dean of Students Office, Student Assistance Office, or online at
http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilities_rights/responsibilities/responsibilities.shtm.
Policy on Academic Freedom:
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has a policy
on Student and Faculty and Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy #03.70.02) which can be accessed
through the following link: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02.
Academic Standards: It is your responsibility to remain in good academic standing within the University and
your college. Undergraduates matriculated in the College of Health Professions & Social Work (CHPSW) must
earn a C or better to count a course toward their major. (C- is not considered passing in CHPSW.) This course
is required for both of the majors – Linguistics and Speech-Language-Hearing – offered by the Department of
Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD).

CSD 2209: Phonetics & Phonology McHugh, Spring 2012
Tentative Course Outline
Week Dates Topics Readings Hwk
1 1/17 Course overview, diagnostics, “horse sentence,” preliminaries S1-2, Daniels, D&H1,
1/19 Overview of linguistics, dialects, prescriptivism, vocal tract etc. (folder 0)
2 1/24 Speech vs. writing (orthography), writing systems, fonts LF15.1 etc. (folder 1) #1
1/26 Phonetics overview, sonority hierarchy, syllables, S3, hdts, etc. (f. 2)
minimal pairs as evidence of phonemic contrast
3 M 1/30 Last day to drop a course
1/31 English consonant taxonomy S5, V&C10 (f. 3) #2
2/2 English vowel taxonomy, acoustic phonetics S4, V&C11, D&H5 (f. 4)
4 2/7 English suprasegmentals, connected speech S6 (f. 5) #3
2/9 Narrow transcription
5 2/14 Review, transcription practice Review sheets (f. 6) #4
2/16 FIRST EXAM
6 2/21 Distinctive features as "digitized" phonetic parameters used to D&H 7; Schane #5
capture natural classes, contrasts, rule changes; binary values, 33-41, 111-116,
economy principle (Occam's Razor), markedness, redundancy Feature Guide (f. 7)
2/23 Feature practice, sounds of the world’s languages V&C12-14, World
Phonetics Charts (f. 8)
7 2/28- Phonemic analysis: complementary distribution as evidence; D&H 8, Schane pp. 49-52, #6
3/1 basic phonological processes: assimilation, dissimilation; Katamba 5, Flowchart (f. 9)
obligatory vs. optional rules, allophonic free variation
SPRING BREAK: NO CLASS 3/6-3/8
8 3/13- No class: groups meet to work on final projects #7
3/15
9 Tu 3/20 Last day to withdraw from courses
3/20 Phonemic analysis & rule writing, cont’d (f. 7, 9) #8
3/22 Review (f. 10)
10 3/27 SECOND EXAM
3/29 Basic morphological analysis Handouts (f. 11)
11 4/3 Alternations & neutralization: beyond the phoneme; D&H 9, Schane 53-61, #9
more phonological rule types & processes Katamba 6 (f. 12)
4/5 Syllable structure, phonotactic constraints, stress patterns D&H 10 (f. 13)
12 4/10 Prosodic domains, fast speech rules, tone & intonation D&H 10, cont’d #10
4/12 Rule interaction: derivations, rule ordering, levels D&H 11 (f. 14) #11
13 4/17 Rule interaction; transcription & analysis of children’s S7 (f. 8) #12
& disordered speech
4/19 Rule interaction; transcription & analysis of dialects S8 (f. 8) #13
& foreign accents
14 4/24- Final Presentations
4/26 #14
FINALS WEEK:
Th 5/3 FINAL EXAM: same room, but earlier (& longer) time: 1-3 (Section 002)
T 5/8 FINAL EXAM: same room, longer time: 8-10 (Section 001)