This course will be devoted to issues in English phonetics and phonology. The aim of the course is to familiarise students with the underlying notions of (and the differences between) phonetics and phonology. Processes affecting the vocalic and the consonantal system of English will be scrutinised: e.g. aspiration, yod-dropping, vowel-shift, glottalisation, flapping, l-darkening, etc. Special emphasis will be placed on learning the letter-to-sound rules of English.

There will no set texts, the exercises will mostly be taken from A. Nádasdy's Practice Book modified to reflect the changes associated with CuBE.

Note that this is a synchronous class happening in real time, but as many of the materials require substantial reading time, some of the sessions will be devoted to reading these materials at home, which means that some of the occasions will not be held with a weekly regularity. Which occasions are affected will depend on the pace with which we can work through the course.

The classes will take place on campus, the reading material, the online tests, as well as practice tests will be available in Canvas.

The final grade will be based on the following components:

• weekly 2 homework assignment: non-graded (mainly) transcription for practice (but also 2 major, but optional assignments in phonological problem solving graded on a five-point scale),
• 2 in-class tests (mid- and end-term) and
• practice quizzes.

The grades will be weighed using the following scale giving a weighed average: mid-term test (30%), end-term test (35%), 2 homework assignments (10% each), practice quizzes (15%), i.e. final grade = (grade1*0.3)+(grade2*0.35)+(grade3*0.10)+(grade4*0.10)+(grade5*0.15).

Important: please note that handing in your HW assignments is NOT a must. There will be deadlines to observe, but you will not be prompted to hand in your assignments. If you decide not to hand them in by the specified deadline, you will score a 0. Thus all students will have 4 grades by the end of the semester. The more HW assignments you hand in, the better your final grade will be.

The tests will be based on the subject matter of the classes. The final test will test you on the full course of the semester. There is no retake for the two tests or postponed tests for those who fail to show up. The tests will be open book tests, so class notes can be used at leisure. You will also score 0% if you do not turn up for the tests.

Regular attendance is a must and will be regularly checked (no more than 3 absences will be tolerated)