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English Phonetics and Phonology I

Code: 106291 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
English Studies OB 2
English and Catalan Studies OB 3
English and Spanish Studies OB 3
English and French Studies OB 3
English and Classics Studies OB 3

Contact

Name:
Celia Gorba Masip
Email:
celia.gorba@uab.cat

Teachers

Julio Miguel Cebrian Puyuelo
Shelagh Mary Vanderpool
Ingrid Mora Plaza

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

C2 level (proficiency) del Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. 


Students are discouraged from enrolling in this subject if they have not passed the first year SLAP I course.


Objectives and Contextualisation

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECT

The main aim of this course is to provide an introduction to the principles of general phonetic description and taxonomy from an articulatory point of view. A description of the sounds of English will be provided and students will practice hearing and producing the linguistically relevant differences in English. Students will acquire working knowledge of phonological and phonetic transcription. The principles of phonological analysis will be presented. Students are introduced to the principles of articulatory description by means of class presentations by the teacher, together with the comments in class of readings done by the students at home. All this is complemented by extensive exercising throughout the semester. Students will practice transcription and reading during the whole course, both in class, in tutorials and at home.

 

Specific objectives.

Students will be able

1) to describe and to explain the production of speech sounds;

2) to classify and describe English sounds articulatorily;

3) to do phonological and phonetic transcription, and read words and phrases in transcription;

4) to carry out contrastive analysis and phonological analysis, and 

5) to detect and assess areas of English pronunciation that of particular difficulty for native speakers of Catalan and Spanish, and to attempt to perceive and produce English sounds accurately.


Competences

    English Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values. 
  • Demonstrate skills to work autonomously and in teams to fulfil the planned objectives.
  • Describe and analyse—synchronically and comparatively—the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties of English and its historical development.
  • Distinguish and contrast the distinct paradigms and methodologies applied to the study of English.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Understand and produce written and spoken academic texts in English at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2).
  • Use written and spoken English for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, the philosophy of language, history, English culture and literature.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Catalan and English languages, their evolution throughout history and their current structures.
  • Critically evaluate the literary and cultural production in the Catalan and English languages and their historical and social context.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Make correct use of written and spoken English for academic or professional purposes, related to the study of language, history, culture and literature.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
    English and Spanish Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the English and Spanish languages, their evolution throughout history and their current structure.
  • Apply teaching and acquisition strategies in the development of communicative competence (both linguistic and extra-linguistic) in a global and multilingual society.
  • Correctly use written and oral English and Spanish for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
    English and French Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical, semantic and pragmatic properties of the English and French languages, their evolution throughout history and their current structures.
  • Carry out linguistic analyses of the English and French languages using specific competences methodologies and terminology.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use spoken English and French correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
    English and Classics Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values. 
  • Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired to the study of the English language in order to understand its diachronic change, as well as its current geographic and social diversity, and to study its acquisition and learning in a global and multilingual society.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Describe and analyse synchronically and comparatively the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties of English, Greek and Latin, as well as their historical evolution.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use written and spoken English correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of English linguistics, history, culture, and literature.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Describe and analyse (synchronically and diachronically) the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic properties of English.
  2. Express oneself in English in writing and orally in an effective and correct manner, in an academic register and using appropriate terminology in relation to the study of phonetics and phonology, syntax, semantics and the history of the English language.
  3. Gather and interpret relevant data to make critical judgements on aspects of English linguistics and its practical applications.
  4. Identify and understand different models for the linguistic analysis of English at phonetic-phonological, syntactic, semantic and historical levels.
  5. Make use of the knowledge acquired while respecting diversity of opinion and varieties of a language.
  6. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  7. Produce written and oral academic texts at higher-proficient-user level (C2) on the concepts and skills relevant to the study of English linguistics.
  8. Understand specialised academic texts on research in English linguistics at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2).
  9. Understand specialised academic texts on research in English linguistics at C2 level.
  10. Understand specialised academic texts on research in English linguistics at higher-proficient-user level C2.
  11. Understand specialised academic texts on research in English linguistics at Mastery level (C2).

Content

SYLLABUS

 

UNIT 1. Introduction to phonetics, phonology, transcription and the main standard varieties of English.

UNIT 2. Production of speech sounds, articulatory description and classification.

UNIT 3. The English consonant system: phonemes and main allophonic realizations. Contrastive analysis of English and Spanish/Catalan consonants.

UNIT 4. The English vowel system: phonemes and main allophonic realizations. Contrastive analysis of English and Spanish/Catalan vowels. 

UNIT 5. Modification processes and connected speech

UNIT 6.Contrastive analysis of phonological systems of different languages or different varieties of one language.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures and practical classes 50 2 11, 8, 10, 9, 1, 2, 4, 7
Type: Supervised      
Assignment preparation 25 1 11, 8, 10, 9, 1, 5, 6, 7, 3
Type: Autonomous      
Study, test preparation and homework 50 2 11, 8, 10, 9, 5, 4, 6, 7, 3

Directed activities

  • Lectures

General phonetics

Description of the articulation of English consonants and vowels and their classification

  • Practical exercises

Classroom correction of homework. Pronunciation practice

Improvement of production and perception of English sounds           

 

Supervised

Individual assignments, preparation of assignmetns and pronunciation practice 

Dealing with theroetical contents 

Identification of difficult aspects of English pronunciation

Phonetic transcription

 

Autonomous    

  • Personal study

Mastering the main notions of phonetics and phonology and apply them to the English language. 

Describing the consonantal and vocalic phonemes of English and their realisations

  • Practical exercises and pronunciation practice

Autonomous practice (including self-correction) 

Identifying and working the difficult aspects of English pronunciation.

Assessment      

  • Exercises and assignments

Classroom correction of exercises 

  • Exams

Understanding and explaining the basic theoretical notions of phonetics and phonology and their application to English phonetics and phonology, as well as a contrastive analysis between English and Spanish and Catalan.

Practice of phonological and phonetic transcription. 

Acurate production of English sounds  

Note: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and theircourses or modules through questionnaires.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
"Assignments" 10 5.5 0.22 2, 5, 6, 7
Final exam 30 1.5 0.06 8, 11, 10, 9, 1, 2, 5, 4, 6, 7, 3
Homework, class exercises and participation 10% 10 16 0.64 8, 11, 10, 9, 1, 4, 6, 7
Midterm exam 25 1.5 0.06 8, 11, 10, 9, 1, 2, 5, 4, 6, 7, 3
Oral exam 25 0.5 0.02 2, 7

Assessment

This subject does not incorporate the single-assessment option.

  • 80% of the final mark will correspond to two written exams in the middle and the end of the term (25% and 30%, respectively) and an oral exam at the end (25%). The pass mark for all exams is 5 out of 10. 
  • 10% of the final mark corresponds to one or two assignments, which may include a mock oral exam and another assignment to be determined.
  • The remaining 10% will correspond to homework exercises, practical exercises done in class, class participation, and homework-based quizzes.

Exact dates for all evaluation activities will be confirmed at the start of the course through a course calendar published on the class Moodle.

Note:

  • All the assignments and tests are COMPULSORY.
  • To pass the course, the following conditions need to be fulfilled:
    • The final written exam and the oral exam need to be passed.
    • The combination of the marks of the two written exams needs to average out to a 5 out of 10, or higher, with the condition that the midterm written exam has a mark of at least 4 out of 10.
    • The course average, taking all assessment items into account, should be at least a 5 out of 10.
  • A final mark of “No avaluable” (Not assessed/Not submitted) can only be obtained if the student has completed a maximum of one exam and the assignment. Therefore, the completion of two exams excludes the possibility of obtaining the “No avaluable”.
  • The students’ command of English will be taken into account when marking all exercisesand for the final mark.
  • IMPORTANT: In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation  in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this  activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that maytake place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as  the final grade for this subject. Irregularities refer, for instance, to copying in an exam, copying from sources without indicating authorship, or a misuse of AI such as presenting work as original that has been generated by an AI tool or programme. These evaluation activities will not be re-assessed.

Partial or totalplagiarizing will immediately result in a FAIL (0) for the plagiarized exercise. Repeated instances of plagiarism will result in a FAIL (0) of the whole subject. PLAGIARISING consists ofcopyingtext from unacknowledged sources –whether this is part of a sentence or a whole text– with the intention of passing it off asthe student’s own production. It includes cutting and pasting from internet sources, presented unmodified in the student’s own text. Plagiarizing is a SERIOUS OFFENCE. Students must respect authors’ intellectual property, always identifying the sources they may use; they must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own texts.

 If a student misses a test or an assignment for a justified reason (e.g., an illness), the student will need to provide evidence of that justification in order to opt for a make-up test or assignment.

Reassessment conditions

  • Reassessment of the course material will be item-by-item when the following conditions are met:
    • The student has a minimum course mark of 3.5/10.
    • The student has completed all the evaluation items.
    • One of the written exams must be passed.
  • The maximum mark that can be obtained at reassessment exam is a 5 out of 10.
  • The reassessment dates are assigned by the university and will not be changed to suit individual students' needs. 
  • Lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the date and place of the reassessment exams.
  • Evaluation activities excluded from reassessment. The following activities are not eligible for reassessment: assignments, quizzes, and assigned exercises.

Procedure for Reviewing Grades Awarded.

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Note: Erasmus students who request to move an exam date forward must submit a written document from their home university justifying their request

 Plagiarism and use of AI

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.


Bibliography

Main readings:

  • Abercrombie, David 1965. Studies in Phonetics and Linguistics. Oxford: OUP.  Ch. 2
  • Ashby, Patricia 1995. Speech Sounds. London: Routledge. (Chapter on Airstream mechanisms).
  • Carr, Philip. 1999. English Phonetics and Phonology: An Introduction.Oxford: Blackwell. Ch. 5
  • Denes, Peter B. & Pinson, Elliot N. 1963. The Speech Chain. New York: Freeman. Ch. 1
  • Finch, Diana F. & Ortiz Lira, Hector. 1982. A course in English phonetics for Spanish speakers. Heinemann Educational Books (currently out of print). Ch. 1-7 + Exercises
  • Kreidler, Charles W. 1997. Describing Spoken English. An Introduction. London: Routledge. Ch. 7
  • O’Connor, J.D. 1973. Phonetics. Harmondsworth: Penguin. (Vowels)
  • O’Connor, Joseph D. 1980. Better English Pronunciation. Cambridge: CUP. 
  • Roach, Peter 1983. English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: CUP.

Recommended bibliography

  • Baker, Ann. 2006 (2nd edition). Tree of Three? An Elementary Pronunciation Course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Baker, Ann. 2006 (3rd edition). Ship or Sheep? An Intermediate Pronunciation Course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Carley, Paul; Mees, Inger M.; Collins, Beverly. 2018. English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice. Routledge.
  • Estebas, Eva. 2009/2014. Teach yourself English pronunciation. A Coruña: Netbiblo/Madrid: UNED.
  • Gilbert, Judy. 2012.(4th edition). Clear Speech. Cambrigde University Press.
  • Gómez González, María de los Ángeles & Sánchez Roura, Teresa. 2016. English Pronunciation for Speakers of Spanish. From Theory to Practice. Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Hancock,Mark. 2003. English pronunciation in use. Cambridge: Cambridge Univeristy Press.
  • Ladefoged, Peter. 1982 (1993, 2005 with CD-Rom). A Course in Phonetics. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich/Thomson Wadsworth. (Ladefoged, Peter & Johnson, Keith. (2015) A Course in Phonetics. Cengage Learning.)
  • Mott, Brian. 2000. English Phonetics and Phonology for Spanish Speakers. Barcelona: Edicions Universitat de Barcelona.
  • Rafael Monroy-Casas, Inmaculada Arboleda-Guirao (eds.) 2014. Readings in English phonetics and phonology. Valencia: Universitat de Valencia.
  • Rogers, Henry. 2000. The Sounds of Language. An Introduction to Phonetics. London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Online resources on English phonetics and transcription

Online resources on English pronunciation

 


Software

Software used in class demonstrations (optional for students): Praat (www.praat.org), https://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/

See also the website English Phonetics and Pronunciation in Barcelona for an extensive and up-to-date list of online resources on general phonetics, English phonetics and pronunciation practice.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 4 English first semester morning-mixed