• Schaller-Schwaner Iris

Introduction
The Phonetics part of this BAS1 seminar in the AS is about the sounds of English. Being able to write down the pronunciation of English in an unambiguous way and knowing about English sounds and stress will help you monitor and adapt your own pronunciation and that of your future learners. You will learn the sound value of IPA phonemic symbols, to read phonemic script and transcribe English pronunciation in this special alphabet. Practice in reading and writing in a different system can be quite a challenge initially. Stretch your motivation to benefit from the experience!

Learning objectives
You will learn to think in terms of speech sounds instead of normal orthography. You will become more aware, on an advanced level, of how English is pronounced. You will use phonemic symbols to read and write down the pronunciation of a given English text. You will familiarise yourselves with technical terms and theoretical concepts. You will become more conscious of your articulation, of pronunciation variation and of different kinds of accents. You will be able to access information on the web and become autonomous users of the Pronunciation Dictionary.

Plan of course content
IPA phonemic symbols for the sound inventory of standard British English; getting to know the pronunciation dictionary, passive and active transcription, articulation; connected speech; word and sentence stress; rhythm; weak forms; sound types; identifying pronunciation problems. Materials and practice will be based on RP, a standard British English accent. Occasional reference to GA, an American model accent, will be made. English as in International Language will be discussed.

Subject to health requirements, my hope for the AS 2020 is to engage in as much face-to-face teaching as is safe and to enable online learning where we need to. Anyone joining my course on campus, please wear a mask covering mouth and nose and observe all other safety measures!

Evaluation
Evaluation is based on active participation (see also 1:1 Pronunciation session) and a successful written test of 55 minutes which includes passive and active use of phonemic transcription as well as theoretical questions. You absolutely need a positive mark on the test to pass the autumn semester!

Individual work required in the autumn semester
Prepare transcriptions and work on your pronunciation, use the pronunciation dictionary, meet the teacher for at least one 1:1 pronunciation session, practise transcription, use computer resources, participate in class, revise for the test.

1:1 Pronunciation sessions
At least one oral 1:1 pronunciation session with your teacher has to be arranged individually. Your teacher is available by appointment. You have to prepare for your 1:1 session in advance. Please choose a text of about 300 words (no poems or song lyrics) and rehearse reading it aloud. Practice with a colleague with a different L1 to give you feedback. Look up any unfamiliar words in the Pronunciation Dictionary. Ideally, you should transcribe difficult passages or the whole text in phonemic transcription. Please bring your preparation notes, or questions (and transcription), to the 1:1 session (as well as a second copy of the text for your teacher).

Wells, John C. 2008. Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 3^rd ed London. (with CD-ROM)
You can also use Roach et al. (eds.) 2011 Daniel Jones’ Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary 18^th ed. Cambridge. (with CD-ROM).
Recommended reading: Roach, Peter ⁴2009. English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: CUP.
It is available in the Self-Study Centre. The two practice CDs are pre-installed on the PCs there.
Carley, P.; Mees, I. M. & Collins, B. 2017. English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice. Routledge.Attendance is compulsory; no more than two unauthorized absences per semester are permitted.