Laboratory Phonology

Catalog description

One of the central questions of research in human speech is how the patterning of speech sounds (phonology) relates to the articulatory, acoustics, and perceptual (phonetic) properties of speech; this problem is often referred to as the "phonetics-phonology interface". In this course, students will act as co-investigators on a topic at the phonetics-phonology interface, carrying out an acoustic study to test hypotheses that are relevant to phonological research. As co-researchers, students will be involved in all aspects of data collection and analysis. Lessons in phonetics will be designed to train students on the necessary skills and concepts required, including understanding the phonetic correlates of the phenomenon under investigation, as well as data analysis and interpretation of the results. A presentation session will be organized for the end of the semester. In tandem with the phonetic study, related phonological phenomena will be investigated throughout the semester. Students will finish this course with a solid understanding of how to do phonetic research, and an appreciation of how various theoretical frameworks have attempted to account for phonological phenomena. Assessment will take the form of quizzes, take-home problem sets, reflections on the research process, and a final report and presentation. Prerequisites: ( 80-282 and 80-180 ) or 80-488