126.138 (L02) General Phonetics
Syllabus

Instructor: Kevin Russell
office: 518 Fletcher Argue, 474-9620
office hours: Monday 11:30-12:25, Friday 1:30-2:30, and by appointment
email: krussll@ccu.umanitoba.ca

Texts

Topics

Square brackets indicate chapters in Rogers' textbook.
  1. The International Phonetic Alphabet and broad transcription of English
  2. Vocal anatomy [1]
  3. Properties of consonants and vowels (basic) [2-5]
  4. Acoustic phonetics [8-9]
  5. General phonetics
    1. vowels and semivowels [11]
    2. place of articulation [12]
    3. manner of articulation [13]
    4. phonation [14]
    5. airstream mechanisms [15]
    6. syllables and suprasegmentals [16]
  6. Narrow transcription of English, other languages, and disordered speech

Grading

Students are expected to demonstrate three kinds of skills/knowledge. Each of these three areas will be evaluated separately. The area in which you do best will count for 50% of your final mark; the other two areas will count for 25% each. The three areas, and the way your accomplishment in them will be evaluated, are as follows:
  1. accurate phonetic transcription
  2. knowledge of facts
  3. explanation and application of concepts

Tests and exams will have two sections: a number of short-answer questions counting toward the second mark area, and long(er)-answer questions counting toward the third area.

The following lower cut-offs will be used in converting the numerical final mark to a letter grade. There will be no rounding up.

A+ 95, A 85, B+ 80, B 75, C+ 70, C 60, D 50.

The small print

Late assignments will be deducted 10% for each day (or part thereof) which they are late, including weekends and holidays. Under no circumstances will assignments be accepted after they have been marked and returned or after the answers have been discussed in class. Assignments not turned in or tests not written will count as zero, except for medical reasons documented by a physician's certificate, in which case the mark in an area will be based on the remainder of the work in that area. (At the discretion of the instructor, if the amount of the remaining work is too little, the three areas will count equally toward the final mark.) Final exams missed for any reason will be dealt with in accordance with university regulations. There will be no make-up tests or exams.

The smaller print

Some legalese courtesy of university bureaucrats: Students are not allowed to plagiarize or to cheat. Statements which define and explain plagiarism and cheating are to be found on page 39 of the 1996-7 General Calendar of the university. (Further information is available from the Learning Centre. If in doubt, ask first.) Impersonation at examinations is explicitly forbidden, both by university regulations and the Canadian Criminal Code. A statement which defines and explains impersonation is to be found on page 39 of the 1996-7 General Calendar of the university.