In the second year of English phonetics the emphasis will be on developing a more detailed understanding and command of sentence stress, while introducing an essential element of spoken English which is communicational intonation. The student is required to learn to recognize and reproduce the different basic intonation shapes, to use them when speaking and be able to interpret the local meanings associated with them in a variety of situations. In the second-year lab phonetics class we will continue to use the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) as a transcription tool; however, the emphasis will be on developing a more detailed practice of word structure (in derivation) and sentence stress by introducing two essential elements of spoken English which are contextual stress and intonation.
Objectives
The objectives are for the student to use and to gain an understanding of the importance of stress and intonation and to learn to recognize the different basic intonation shapes, to use them when speaking and be able to interpret the meanings associated with them in a variety
of situations. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Pronounce simple and complex orthographic vowels correctly when under stress; while respecting vowel reduction in unstressed syllables in words and phrases.
Pronounce English consonants correctly, also using them in linking between syllables;
Master word stress rules for non-affixed words, prefixed words and suffixed words, while developing an ear for stress shift when identifiable contextual conditions are present.
Apprehend, produce and practice sentence stress rhythm as a basic component of conventional speech patterns in English; identify conventional shifting of stress, both in word derivation (analytic) and in discourse (synthetic application).
Correctly interpret prosodic cues in oral conversation and be able to reproduce a selection of appropriate intonational forms in oral production.
This course is intended for students who have a working knowledge of the IPA (or who can acquire it quickly), who have assimilated the 20 English phonemes in their production and understand the basics of word and sentence stress which were covered in L1 and L2 (first year phonology and lab). This course will also assume a basic knowledge of articulatory phonetic description, phonetic transcription, and phonological theory, topics covered in first year (Lab Phonetics and Phonology). This course runs parallel to the second-year phonology course, where the emphasis is on theory. Students who do not have this background should acquire it outside class.
1st semester: Individual graph phonemics and word/sentence stress drills in lab booths, listening and recording (repeating, pronouncing, rhyming with parallel phonetic transcription practice).
Recorded practice work on word stress placement, rendering of lax and tense vowels in stressed syllables, in alternation with reduced vowels in unstressed syllables; correction of consonant phonemes (and assimilation/elision phenomena). Dialogue lab practice in pairs: assigning meaning to systems of stress and non-stress in utterances.
2nd semester: Individual and collective work in booths (chanting, dialogic phrasing drills, interpreting basic intonational melodies with parallel phonetic transcription practice). Introduction to connected speech phenomena, intensive practice using intonational shapes and melodies with prompts individually and in pairs. Dialogic lab practice in chunking information for development of presentation skills, speaking clearly from prompts, and responding to questions.
Assessment and Final Grade
Evaluation: continuous assessment (class production, oral and written homework + 2 in-class tests each semester)
Course language: English.
Course Requirements
Student are required to be present in class each week and apply themselves in order to make progress in their pronunciation in English, while becoming conscious of major characteristics of the language that are unique to its use, in conversation and especially in academic contexts. In addition, weekly assignments with recordings are posted on Moodle, so that the student is prepared each week to apply their practice and progress in class. One hour a week in class is insufficient for most non-native speakers to make real progress.
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