Linguistics 5322: Laboratory Phonology

Spring 2008

 

Instructor:                 Jerold A. Edmondson, Hammond Hall 126; (817) 272-5816; j.edmondson@sbcglobal.net

Meetings:                  Monday and Wednesday, 2:30-3:50, Trimble Hall 014; we will not be meeting in TH 215 as the schedule says, since we will need the lab facilities of TH 014.

Office Hours:           Monday and Wednesday, 1:30-2:30; also by appointment

GTA:                          Matt Benton, sgtbenton@yahoo.com or mbenton@uta.edu; Office TH 217C; office hours TTh 3:30-4:30

Textbook:                 Katrina Hayward, 2000 or 2001. Experimental Phonetics.  Eastbourne: Pearson Education, 1st or 2nd edition, 320 pp. This book can be purchase through alibris.com and Amazom.com has a few used copies.

Description:              This course is a laboratory-oriented overview of issues that surround the theory and practice of how speech sounds are produced and how they are analyzed articulatorily and acoustically.  Students will learn about the details of articulatory sources and acoustic resonances in human speech, with an emphasis on the practical issues concerning the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of empirical data. Throughout the course, particular attention will be given to those issues that have bearing on phonological theory.  As this is very much a “hands-on” course, students will be expected to spend time in the UTA Phonetics Laboratory (TH 014) working on homework assignments and semester projects. A hardback laboratory notebook, preferably something like The original Marble Cover-80 Sheet 5x5 Quad ruled with heavyweight paper (available in UTA bookstore), will be required for note taking and results of experiments.

Goals:                        The primary goal of this course is to educate students in the methods and theory of experimental analysis relevant to phonological research, thereby enabling them to develop competence in data-driven support for phonological concepts. Through an integrated use of course readings, class discussions, and laboratory sessions, students will acquire both the technical skills and higher-order knowledge that underlies professional-level work in language-based phonetic research.  To this end, students will be required to actively participate in all facets of the course, including conducting original phonetic research.

Prerequisite:              LING 5320 [formerly LING 5301].

Computing:              Students should be aware that this is not a course on any particular software package used in the analysis of acoustic data. The UTA Phonetics Lab has available three programs for student use: PRAAT, Wavesurfer, and CoolEdit 2000 (on the PCs, first two also available for Mac).  Student will be expected to become familiar with all these.

 

Course Requirements:

    1. Homework Assignments 60%

        ..... There will be a series of at least eight (8) homework assignments.  These will take the form of laboratory reports that should be structured: (a) Introduction; (b) Methods; (c) Results; and (d) Discussion.  Emphasis will be on all four aspects, particularly the critical thinking involved in the assignment.

        *.. Evaluation scale: √++ = excellent; √ += verygood; √ = good; √– = poor; 0 = unacceptable.

        *.. Late assignments will be accepted only if you have spoken to me before the assignment is due. I reserve the right to refuse any work not turned in on time.

 

    2. Midterm Exam  20 %

        ..... This will be an in-class exam on Wednesday, March 13th.  It will take the form of two questions over the readings.

 

    3. Final Project  20 %

        ..... A project paper in which you analyze data employing concepts covered this semester.   Due:  Wed, May 7th,  NOON.

 

Projected Course Schedule; actual assignments MAY differ;

some Assignments will appear as files linked to their dates 

Wk

Date

Topic

Readings

1

Jan 14, 16

Impressionistic vs. instrumental phonetics, Phonetics vs. Phonology, PRAAT, Wavesurfer, Segments, Phonemes, Targets,

Hayward, ch. 1, 01-18-23-06,

2

Jan 21, 23

Analyzing and recording sound, A2D conversion, the Spectrograph

Hayward ch. 3; Zemlin z101-3, z118-9, z144-9, z165-76 Homework 1

3

Jan 28, 30

The Nature of sound, its structure, scaling it, the concept of spectrum Speech Physiology

Hayward chs. 2 and 3, Esling-Harris SOG paper, Esling and Harris States of the glottis Homework 2-the relative nature of speech sounds: small and large people, Read Traunmueller-Eriksson 95 and Samuelsson06

4

Feb 4, 6

Acoustics of speech production, FFT, LPC

Hayward ch. 4, review ch. 3, David Weenick Speech Signal Processing

5

Feb 11, 13

Acoustics of Voicing and voice quality, harmonic differential and inverse filtering; Rothenberg Mask

Homework 3-Prepare a research proposal for your project Homework 3-plot of modal, breathy, harsh, and faucalized vocal register airflow; Phonation types Ian Catford

6

Feb 18, 20

Perception and Hearing

Hayward ch. 5

7

Feb 25, 27

Tone and its analysis

Bert Remijsen Magey Matbat tones Homework 4-tone plot of Chinese tones

8

Mar 3, 5

Stress and its analysis Review

Agaath M. C. Sluijter, Vincent J. van Heuven, and Jos J. A. Pacilly Spectral balance as a cue in the perception of linguistic stress Homework 5-center of gravity in stressed and unstressed vowels, review

 

9

Mar 10, 12

Review, Midterm exam (Mar 12)

10

Mar 16-21

Spring Break

 

11

Mar 24, 26

Acoustic description of Vowels

Hayward ch. 6 Assmann and Nearey. 1987. Perception of front vowels: the role of harmonics in the first formant region JASA 81.520-34. Homework 6-formant transitions in Dinka nasals

12

Mar 31, Apr 2

Acoustic description of Consonants

Hayward ch. 7 Homework 7-rise time in Chinese affricates

13

Apr 7, 9

Speech Production

Hayward ch. 8, please read the papers by Martin Rothenberg at http://www.rothenberg.org/publications.htm the three that are online and Esling and Harris States of the glottis; Edmondson and Esling Valves of the throat.

14

Apr 14, 16

Speech resynthesis

Homework 8-resynthesis of Thai tones

15

Apr 21, 23

Impressionistic-phonetic Classification

Hayward Appendix

16

Apr 28, 30

Phonetics & Phonology Revisited; course evaluation and wrapup

Abby Cohn. 2005. Phonetics in Phonology and Phonology in Phonetics

17

May 7

Final Project Due by NOON May 7

 

A Note on the Semester Project:

For your final project, you may select any language, including your own. Use any reasonablesource of data (native speakers or pre-recorded data) provided you can obtain sufficient material on which to base your research and you submit your project for institutional review (IRB) and receive approval from the UTA Research Office. Please select your language by Feb1, 2006 so that you can have time enough to get approval,collect, digitize, measure, analyze, and discuss your data.

 

 

University Policies


Americans With Disabilities Act. The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation (Public Law 93112, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended). With the passage of new federal legislation entitled the "Americans With Disabilities Act" (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

All members of the UTA faculty are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. As a student, your responsibility rests with informing the instructor at the beginning of the semester (you must inform me in writing (e-mail is fine) no later than Tuesday, January 25, 2005) and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels; for more information, contact UTA's Office of Students with Disabilities (located in the Lower Level of University Center).

According to Department of Linguistics and TESOL policy, "unofficial" or "informal" requests for accommodations (i.e., those not recorded by the Office of Students with Disabilities) cannot be honored.

Academic Dishonesty.At The University of Texas at Arlington, academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. Students involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from UTA.

According the UT System Regents' Rules and Regulations, "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts" (Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22).

While the Department of Linguistics and TESOL hopes to foster a sense of community in which students can enhance their educational experience by conferring with each other about the lectures, readings, and assignments, all work submitted must be the product of each student's own effort. Students are expected to know and honor the standards of academic integrity followed by American universities; ignorance of these standards is not an excuse for committing an act of academic dishonesty (including plagiarism). If you have questions, please speak with your instructor, your academic advisor, or the department chair.

Student Support Services Available: The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for information and referrals. Enrolling in / Withdrawing from this Course: Students are responsible for making all decisions regarding their enrollment status in UTA courses. Should you decide to withdraw from this course, you must either (1) drop via the internet / SAM system or (2) complete an official "add/drop" and file it in the Linguistics and TESOL department office. Any student who stops attending class and/or fails to complete assigned work will not be "automatically" dropped; in such cases, unless you officially withdraw, you will receive a grade of F. (Note: Students enrolled in graduate courses may not "replace" a grade; all grades are permanent.)

A student dropping his/her last (only) course cannot withdraw as above. Rather, s/he must go in person to the UTA Registrar's Office (Davis Hall, First Floor) and complete a request to resign from the university.

Auditors: The Department of Linguistics and TESOL has a "no audit" policy. Students attending LING classes must be officially enrolled in those courses. Exception: Students who have already fulfilled a degree requirements and would like to sit in on a comparable course to prepare for their comprehensive / diagnostic examination may do so (with the permission of the professor).

Gifts to Faculty: The Department of Linguistics and TESOL has a strict "no gift" policy: instructors may not accept gifts of any kind from students, including meals, food, or flowers. All linguistics instructors have been instructed to refuse gifts. Students can avoid placing their instructors in an awkward position by not offering them any gifts. Students wishing to honor their professors may make a contribution to the LING-TESOL Scholarship Fund; visit the department office (Hammond Hall 403) and ask for a "Gift Giving Guide."

LING 5322—Laboratory Phonology

Reading List

Beckman, Mary E.and John Kingston.  1989.  Introduction.  Between the grammar and physics of speech, M. E. Beckman and John Kingston (editors).  Cambridge,UK; New York, NY:  Cambridge University Press.

CATford, J. C. 1985.  Fundamental problems in Phonetics.  Indiana University Press: Bloomington and anything else ian catford has written.

Cohn, Abigail. 1993.  Nasalization in English:  phonology or phonetics?  Phonology 10:  43-82.

Flege, James Emil, Murray J. Munro and Ian R.A. MaKay.  1996.  Factors Affecting the Production of Word-initialConsonants in a Second Language. Second Language Acquisition and Linguistic Variation, Robert Bayley and Dennis R. Preston (editors). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishng Company.

Hayward, Katerina. 2000. Experimental phonetics. Pearson Education also 2nd edition 2001.

Keating, Patricia A.  1985.  UniversalPhonetics and the Organization of Grammars.  Phonetic Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Peter Ladefoged, V.Fromkin (editor).  Orlando,FL:  Academic Press.  Pp. 115-132.

Lindblom, Bjorn.  1986.  PhoneticUniversals in Vowel Systems. Experimental Phonology, J. J. Ohala and J. J. Jaeger (editors).  London: Academic Press.  Pp. 13-44.

Lisker, Leigh and Arthur S. Abramson.  1964.  A Cross-Language Study of Voicing in Initial Stops:  Acoustical Measurements.  Word 20: 384-422.

Software Manual for Klattworks.  University of Rochester.

Stevens, Kenneth N.  1998.  Acoustic Phonetics. Cambridge:  MIT Press.

Woods, Anthony, Paul Fletcher and Arthur Hughes.1986.  Chapter 11.  Statistics in Language Studies.  Cambridge, UK:  Cambridge University Press.  Call #:  p138.5 .W66 1986.

Zemlin, Willard.  1998. Speech and hearing science : anatomy andphysiology.  Boston et al:  Allyn and Bacon.