Phonology: Discover the sound systems of the world's languages in Phonology!

Cross listed with LINGST 4630 and 7630

Dive into the fascinating world of speech sounds and sound patterns in human language! In this hands-on course, you'll explore how sounds are organized and manipulated in languages through problem-solving, analysis, and original research. Learn to transcribe speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet, uncover hidden patterns in diverse languages, and build compelling arguments like a professional linguist.

This semester features an experiential learning component where you'll work with real linguistic data from an underdocumented language. You will collaborate in small research teams to analyze audio recordings, develop phonological descriptions, and contribute to ongoing linguistic research. Along the way, you'll master key concepts like allophony, stress, tone, and syllable structure, and gain the technical skills to produce linguistically accurate documents that follows conventions of the field.

Whether you're curious about how the pronunciations of words changes in different environments or eager to engage in original research, this course offers a dynamic and immersive introduction to phonological theory and practice.

While there are no prerequisites, it is recommended that students have completed at least one prior course in Linguistics. This course serves as a core prerequisite for the capstone course of the Linguistics major, LING 4870, Field Methods in Linguistics.