Students

LING2217 – Introductory Phonetics and Phonology

2024 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer
Anita Szakay
anita.szakay@mq.edu.au
UG Course Director
Felicity Cox
felicity.cox@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Timothy Shea
timothy.shea@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
LING110 or LING111 or LING1111
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

In this unit we explore the incredible range of sounds that humans use to create language. We'll discuss how speech sounds are produced by the vocal mechanism, how different languages use different sets of sounds, and how speech sounds are structured in language. You'll learn about how speech gestures combine and overlap to generate sound that humans are uniquely able to interpret as sentences, words, syllables, consonants, and vowels. You'll learn how to use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to represent the sounds of the world's languages, and how to analyse sets of phonetic data to explore patterns of sound structure in language.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: successfully use the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • ULO2: perform broad (phonemic) and narrow (phonetic) transcription tasks
  • ULO3: demonstrate an understanding of speech articulation
  • ULO4: classify speech sounds through a thorough understanding of the major characteristics of vowels and consonants
  • ULO5: show an understanding of the distinction between phonemes and allophones through problems in phonemic analysis
  • ULO6: show some of the ways that languages and dialects differ in both their phoneme inventories and the pronunciation of their phonemes
  • ULO7: demonstrate an understanding of the concept of coarticulation
  • ULO8: illustrate the close relationships between phonetics/phonology and social factors
  • ULO9: explain the structure of syllables and how phonotactic constraints result in different sets of legal syllables for different languages
  • ULO10: demonstrate a basic understanding of the phonology of intonation
  • ULO11: engage in a research rich environment

General Assessment Information

Lateness 

  • Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 3% of the total mark available for the assessment task per day including weekend days (i.e. this is 3% of the total marks possible for the task – NOT 3% of the marks the student received. For example, if the assessment task is worth 100 marks and you are two days late your mark for the task is reduced by 6 marks.)
  • Late submission of an assessment task without an extension will not be accepted at all after the date on which marked assessment tasks have been released to the rest of the class. Any student with unsubmitted work at this date will receive a mark of 0 for the assessment task.
  • Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.
  • Extensions that will result in submissions after the assessment task has been returned to the class will require a separate assessment task to be completed at the unit convenor's discretion.
  • For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://student s.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
  • If you fail the unit due to non-submission of an assignment or non-attendance at an exam, an FA grade will be applied in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Broad Transcription 20% No Week 5
IPA Test 10% No Week 7
Narrow Transcription 20% No Week 10
Online Phonemic Analysis Quiz 15% No Week 12
Exam 30% No in exam period TBA
Research Participation 5% No anytime by Week 13

Broad Transcription

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 20%

 

The broad transcription tasks involves analysis of single words, short phrases and passages using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols specifically selected for the broad phonetic transcription of Australian English.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • successfully use the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • perform broad (phonemic) and narrow (phonetic) transcription tasks
  • show an understanding of the distinction between phonemes and allophones through problems in phonemic analysis
  • explain the structure of syllables and how phonotactic constraints result in different sets of legal syllables for different languages

IPA Test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 7 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 10%

 

This is an online quiz which assesses the recognition and representation of sounds of the world’s languages.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • successfully use the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • perform broad (phonemic) and narrow (phonetic) transcription tasks
  • demonstrate an understanding of speech articulation
  • classify speech sounds through a thorough understanding of the major characteristics of vowels and consonants

Narrow Transcription

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 20%

 

The narrow phonetic/allophonic transcription task involves analysis of single words, short phrases and a passage using the principles of the IPA.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • successfully use the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • perform broad (phonemic) and narrow (phonetic) transcription tasks
  • show an understanding of the distinction between phonemes and allophones through problems in phonemic analysis
  • demonstrate an understanding of the concept of coarticulation
  • explain the structure of syllables and how phonotactic constraints result in different sets of legal syllables for different languages

Online Phonemic Analysis Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 7 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 15%

 

This online Quiz involves phonemic analysis of language data to determine the phonemes and allophones in a set of corpora using standard procedures employed in phonology.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • successfully use the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • show an understanding of the distinction between phonemes and allophones through problems in phonemic analysis

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 17 hours
Due: in exam period TBA
Weighting: 30%

 

The final 2 hour exam covers all major topics. The exam is in short answer format.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • successfully use the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • demonstrate an understanding of speech articulation
  • classify speech sounds through a thorough understanding of the major characteristics of vowels and consonants
  • show some of the ways that languages and dialects differ in both their phoneme inventories and the pronunciation of their phonemes
  • demonstrate an understanding of the concept of coarticulation
  • illustrate the close relationships between phonetics/phonology and social factors
  • explain the structure of syllables and how phonotactic constraints result in different sets of legal syllables for different languages
  • demonstrate a basic understanding of the phonology of intonation

Research Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: anytime by Week 13
Weighting: 5%

 

Research Participation involves participating as a research subject for 5% of the total unit credit. Research tasks that you can participate in are run by various members of the Linguistics, Psychology and Cognitive Science Departments including staff and research students. Research participation typically involves one hour of your time.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • engage in a research rich environment

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Materials

The learning and teaching strategies used in this Unit are structured around a textbook, an extensive set of interactive text, image and audio based online materials as well as live-streamed and pre-recorded video lectures (including associated Powerpoint presentations) and online tutorial participation.

Text: Cox, F. & Fletcher, J. (2017) Australian English: Pronunciation and Transcription, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.

Attendance

Lectures: online live-streamed and/or pre-recorded lecture every week

Tutorials: 1hr tutorial once a week; online zoom session every week

Tutorials commence in Week 1. Each student will attend one online tutorial per week. Attendance at tutorials is expected and rolls will be taken. Learning the skill of phonetic transcription and the concepts necessary to gain a solid understanding of phonetics and phonology takes dedication, practice, and engagement. We are here to support your learning and we can only do this successfully through face to face contact with you to guide you through the materials. You must be prepared to attend and actively engage in the learning process with your teachers and peers. You are expected to turn on your cameras for the online tutorial.

Unit Schedule

  • Week 1 - Introduction to Speech Production
  • Week 2 - Consonants
  • Week 3 - Vowels
  • Week 4 - Syllables & Feet
  • Week 5 - Airstream Mechanisms and Laryngeal Features
  • Week 6 - Complex Articulations
  • Week 7 - Phonemes and Allophones
  • Week 8 - Coarticulation
  • Week 9 - Narrow Transcription
  • Week 10 - Phonemic Analysis
  • Week 11 - Sociophonetics
  • Week 12 - Intonation and Tone
  • Week 13 - Revision

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.01R of the Handbook