An Introduction to English Phonology 2nd Edition - (Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language) by April McMahon

About the Book

A student's introduction to the sounds of English

Book Synopsis

This textbook introduces the main units and concepts you require to describe speech sounds accurately. By working through the book and the various exercises included, you will come to understand the need for a dedicated system of description and transcription for speech sounds, and for a degree of phonological abstraction to support our understanding of the behaviour of sounds in particular languages and varieties. You will learn to carry out elementary, broad phonetic transcription, and be able to establish contrastive vowel and consonant systems for your own varieties and to express simple generalisations reflecting the productive and predictable patterns of English sounds. At the end of the book there is a section guiding you through some of the exercises and there is also a detailed glossary which will be useful for assignments or revision during exams.

From the Back Cover

A student's introduction to the sounds of English This textbook introduces the main units and concepts you require to describe speech sounds accurately. By working through the book and the various exercises included, you will come to understand the need for a dedicated system of description and transcription for speech sounds, and for a degree of phonological abstraction to support our understanding of the behaviour of sounds in particular languages and varieties. You will learn to carry out elementary, broad phonetic transcription, and be able to establish contrastive vowel and consonant systems for your own varieties and to express simple generalisations reflecting the productive and predictable patterns of English sounds. At the end of the book there is a section guiding you through some of the exercises and there is also a detailed glossary which will be useful for assignments or revision during exams. Key features: - Ten discrete chapters map on to an introductory course on English phonology - Expanded coverage of different accents and varieties of modern World Englishes (Chapter 8) - New coverage of intonation (Chapter 10) - Theory-neutral and clear explanation of concepts central to the practice of phonology - New exercises, discussion questions and a glossary - Over 80 diagrams and examples clearly demonstrate key concepts, data and ideas April McMahon is Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at the University of Manchester.

Review Quotes

All in all, An Introduction to English Phonology gives an excellent, concise overview of the subject and is a must for all teachers and students involved in the teaching of English in higher education.--Brian Mott, Universitat de Barcelona "AEDEAN Nexus"

The first edition of this book in 2002 was innovative in recruiting a leading phonologist to present an engagingly-written introduction to the field of phonology that was actually pitched at an appropriate level for beginning undergraduates. Since that time much has changed in linguistics and in society, and this new edition of McMahon's classic textbook hits the mark with its incorporation of contemporary authentic examples of English usage, exercises with answer keys, a new section on the rapidly growing field of intonation studies, and expanded coverage of World Englishes.--Dr Bert Vaux, University of Cambridge

The recommended reading for each chapter presents the interested student with material for further study, and the exercises provided are interesting, relevant and often thought provoking.-- "Linguist List (praise for the 1st edition)"

About the Author

April McMahon is Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at the University of Manchester, and Professor in the Department of Linguistics and English Language. Her previous books include Understanding Language Change, Lexical Phonology and the History of English and Change, Chance, and Optimality.