This much improved revised edition of the book takes into account the needs of the student in the context of the present curricula followed in various universities and English language teaching institutes. This edition therefore devotes a new chapter to Assimilation, a section to Tones in relation to Attitudes, and highlights certain important aspects of pronunciation, such as rules of word accentuation.Starting with general phonetics, the book goes on to give a brief functional account of general phonology and then a selective and yet fairly exhaustive description of the phonetics and phonology of English. It also provides a number of conversational passages in phonetic script as well as in ordinary spelling for practice in reading aloud. What sets this text apart is its novelty of approach and lucidity of treatment. English pronunciation is followed as per the "Received Pronunciation of England". This text is specially designed for postgraduate students of English, undergraduate and postgraduate students of Linguistics, and for those undergoing secondary and tertiary level teachers' training programmes in English.

Combining coverage of the key concepts and tools within phonetics and phonology with a systematic introduction to Praat, this textbook provides a lively and engaging 'way in' to the discipline. The author first covers the fundamentals of the articulatory and acoustic aspects of speech and introduces Praat as the main tool for examining and visualising speech. Next, the unit of analysis is gradually expanded (from syllables to words to turns and dialogues) and excerpts of real dialogues exemplify the core concepts for discovering how speech works. The final part of the book brings all the concepts and notions together with commentaries to the transcription of several short excerpts of dialogues. This book will be essential reading for students on undergraduate courses in phonetics and phonology.

First published in 1987. Most introductory textbooks in phonetics are designed to turn the people who use them into phoneticians. People who take phonetics courses, on the other hand, do not in general wish to become specialists, but rather need to know what the study of phonetics has to offer in some other field. This book is intended for those involved in any way with the study of the English language: for students of linguistics or literature, teachers of English, and those involved with the study of literacy, or the analysis of dis course or conversation.

A problem-based introduction to phonetics, with over three hundred exercises integrated into the text to help the student discover and practice the subject interactively. It assumes no previous knowledge of the subject and highlights and explains new terms and concepts when they are first introduced. Graded review questions and exercises at the end of every unit help the student monitor their own progress and further practice new skills, and there is frequent cross-referencing for the student to see how the subject fits together and how later concepts build on earlier ones. The book highlights the differences between speech and writing in Unit One and covers all the essential topics of a phonetics course.

The 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 textbook 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 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.

American English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice provides an accessible introduction to basic articulatory phonetics for students of American English. Built around an extensive collection of practice materials, this book teaches the pronunciation of modern standard American English to intermediate and advanced learners worldwide. This book: • provides an up-to-date description of the pronunciation of modern American English; • demonstrates the use of each English phoneme with a selection of high-frequency words, both alone and in context in sentences, idiomatic phrases and dialogues; • provides examples and practice material on commonly confused sounds, including illustrative pronunciation diagrams; • is supported by a companion website featuring complete audio recordings of practice material to check your pronunciation against; • can be used not only for studying pronunciation in the classroom but also for independent practice. American English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice is essential reading for any student studying this topic.