LG415-7-SP-CO:
Phonetics
2026/27
Language and Linguistics
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Monday 18 January 2027
Thursday 25 March 2027
15
12 May 2026
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MA Q16012 English Language and Linguistics,
MA Q10012 Linguistics
This module covers topics in phonetics, with particular focus on acoustic phonetics.
Students are expected to have a general familiarity with, minimally, the sounds of English and their IPA symbols, and the systems used to describe sounds in articulatory phonetics (place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing). In this module, students will further their knowledge of articulatory phonetics by looking at airstream mechanisms and laryngeal settings for voice quality in English and non-English sounds. The module will also cover a substantial amount of acoustic phonetics, including basic sound acoustics and the analysis and quantification of various segments. Topics in speech perception and audition will also be introduced.
The aims of this module are to:
- Introduce students to sounds found in languages outside of English.
- Provide students with an understanding of basic acoustics.
- Allow students ample time for hands-on exploration of acoustic phonetics and introduce the basic handling of digital audio files.
- Introduce students to speech perception and audition.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Have a clear understanding of airstream mechanisms and voice qualities for various speech sounds.
- Be familiar with acoustic phonetics and demonstrate knowledge of details of sound wave structure and sound dimensions such as frequency, amplitude and duration.
- Read information off spectrograms in order to identify different sounds.
- Conduct acoustic speech analysis using e.g. Praat and produce documents to display your findings.
- Be well equipped for independent phonetic analysis and advanced study.
Syllabus Information
- Vocal tract physiology
- Fundamentals of acoustics
- Speech sound description via the IPA
- Acoustic analysis in Praat
- Acoustics of voice
- Acoustic properties of consonants
- Acoustic properties of vowels
- Acoustics of suprasegmentals (tone, intonation, stress)
- Speech perception
This module will be delivered via:
- One 2-hour lecturer/seminar per week
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Assignment 1 |
26/02/2027 |
30% |
| Coursework |
Assignment 2 |
02/04/2027 |
70% |
Additional coursework information
N/A
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Charles Redmon, email: c.redmon@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Charlies Redmon
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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