- Paperback: 308 pages
- Publisher: Heinle & Heinle Publishers Inc.,U.S.; 3rd edition edition (20 Jan 1997)
- ISBN-10: 0155001736
- ISBN-13: 978-0155001732
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 606,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
."..THE authoritative text in phonetics."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Provides a broad overview of the branches of phonetics for students with no prior knowledge. Ladefoged's approach builds on the basics, beginning with technical terms required for describing speech and transcription symbols before moving on to the phonetics of English and other languages.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ladefoged is one of the world's best phonetics teachers, and this book does not disappoint. Phonetics is by nature a practical science, where listening, identifying and describing speech sounds (and the ability to produce them, as well!) are key skills. Because of this, you might wonder how you could really learn them from a book. The answer is that Ladefoged explains things so well, you'll find yourself practicing all sorts of new sounds within minutes of opening the book.
He starts off in the first chapter by describing the vocal tract and the place and ways that we produce sounds. The second chapter discusses phonetic and phonological transcription, and introduces the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Chapters 3, 4 and 5 deal with English: vowels, consonants and words and sentences (respectively). The next chapter deals with phonation types and airstream mechanisms. The seventh chapter looks at place and manner of articulation. Chapter 8 gives a basic introduction to acoustic phonetics, including spectrogram analysis. Chapter 9 looks more at vowels, and then at vowel-like articulations. The tenth chapter considers syllables and other suprasegmental features. Chapter 11 deals with linguistic phonetics, looking into how phonetics makes languages the way they are (ultimately relating to language change).
In each of these chapters, Ladefoged assumes nothing more than a good command of English and an basic awareness of the major differences between American and British English, and teaches you everything. Experiences with other languages is useful, and his approach uses English primarily as teaching reference rather than a focus. The IPA is used from the beginning, and the front and back inside cover are devoted to its chart. There are exercises at the end of each chapter, including "production exercises", giving you a chance to practice and learn all of the concepts previously discussed. In short, the book is excellent and I cannot recommend it more highly.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At times, a rather difficult read, but reading over a couple of times can make all the difference. Does exactly what it says on the tin: 'A Course in Phonetics'. The book basically gives you a course in phonetics. The book contains everything you need to know for the study of Phonetics, including all the relevant tables you need to have. I found the book extremely helpful and could not have completed my degree without it. Throughout the book, Peter Ladefoged gives you the step-by-step guide, starting from easy to hard, of all the existing speech sounds, with instructions on how to pronounce them yourself. At the end of each chapter there are exercises to complete, to make sure you fully understand what you have just read and practiced. A recommended book for anyone interested in Phonetics, or who are planning to study it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought a different textbook for my Phonetics and Phonology module, but found that it lacked a lot of things, and on the other hand, included too much scientifical, hard-to-understand, unnecessary material.
A Course In Phonetics, however, is both as simple and scientific as it needs to be - whether you're just starting out or need something to refer back to, I think this is the best Phonetics textbook money can buy.
A Course In Phonetics, however, is both as simple and scientific as it needs to be - whether you're just starting out or need something to refer back to, I think this is the best Phonetics textbook money can buy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A really useful aid!
I found this book to be extremely useful in my linguistics degree this year. It describes in detail all the important aspects of phonetics from the articulation of individual... Read more
Published on 25 July 2006 by Oliver Anthony
A must for anyone wanting to understand speech
A really excellent book, the maximum amount of infromation in the minimum space, supported by a set of relevant examples. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 1999
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