This unit is taught over 13 weeks. After a general introduction in week 1, topics are divided in five two-week blocks. Week one of each block presents the phonological concepts and theoretical background. Week two presents a rehearsal and further application of the theory/topic. The final two weeks are dedicated to child phonology, to illustrate the relevance and interrelation of all learned topics in early child development, and further practice phonological analysis skills on child language data.

Each week, students will attend both a lecture and a tutorial/workshop. Before attending each lecture, students will have read the set readings. After attending the lecture and before the tutorial, they revisit the set readings and prepare the solutions to the weekly assignments. They bring a copy to the workshop in order to discuss the solutions.

A proper understanding of phonology can only be gained by broad and attentive reading of the literature, and dedicated thinking about how these ideas apply to language data. You will not be able to pass this unit by simply scanning the lecture notes each week. If you read continuously, compile your own notes, take a thorough attempt at the weekly assignments, ask questions about the theory, and think about language structure, you should do well in this unit, and find it rewarding and relevant to your further studies and careers. If you do not prepare adequately for class and fail to take responsibility for your own learning, you will struggle.

We strongly encourage note-taking with pen-and blank paper rather than on laptops or other electronic devices. Pen-and-paper note taking facilitates the non-linear thinking strategies required for phonological analysis.

Lectures

Lectures are designed to summarize and reinforce the key ideas that you have already encountered in your own reading of the literature, not to introduce you to material for the first time.

Tutorials

The weekly tutorial assignment invite you to apply the learned phonological concepts to real language data or formulate your own stance regarding a theoretical issue. Students will be invited to share their solutions during the tutorial. Preparation of the tutorial assignments constitutes exam preparation; the discussion of the assignments during the tutorials constitutes feedback on your current understanding and analysis skills.

The tutorial/workshop sessions are designed to further consolidate the phonological concepts, discuss and further illustrate the application to real language data. Attendance at and participation in tutorials will contribute to learning how to communicate, explain, and illustrate phonological concepts and processes (learning outcomes 1 and 2). Tutorials will provide extensive practice in analysing phonological data and explaining them under different phonological frameworks (learning outcomes 4 and 5).

Tutorial Attendance

Attendance at and participation in tutorials is expected and class rolls will be taken. No recordings will be available for the interactive and problem-based weekly tutorial classes. Students are, therefore, strongly encouraged to attend all tutorials during semester if at all possible.

Workload

3 credit points, amounting to 9 hours per week or 135 hours in total.

26 hours lectures                                              13 lectures; 2 hours per week

19.5 hours workshops/labs/tutorials                 13 tutorials; 1.5 hours per week

45 hours assessment tasks                               3 assessment tasks; 15 hours each

44.5 hours class preparation                              3 to 4 hours, for example

                                                                                 2 hours reading lecture materials

                                                                                 1.5 hours preparing tutorial assignment.

Extension Requests and Lateness Policy

Any request for an extension must be provided with associated documentation via ask@mq before the assignment deadline.

Unless you have negotiated an extension based on documented evidence of significant disruption to your studies, a penalty of 5% of the total marks for the assignment per day (including 2 days for weekends) will apply to late submissions.

Unless otherwise negotiated, assignments will not be accepted at all AFTER the date on which the marked assignments are returned to students in the unit.

Required and recommended texts and/or materials

The required text for this unit is:

• Hayes (1999). Introductory Phonology. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Secondary (recommended) texts are:

• Gussenhoven & Jacobs (1999). Understanding Phonology (3^rd Edition). UK: Hodder Education.
• Kager (1999). Optimality Theory. Utrecht, The Netherlands: Cambridge University Press.

See the unit website for details of other required readings and assessment exercises.

Technologies used and required

Word processing and conversion to pdf file format is needed for completing both Problem Sets One and Two; internet access is needed for downloading lecture and tutorial materials and for uploading assignments.

No other technologies.