LING 322 - Research Topics in Phonetics and Phonology

The way we understand the phonological grammar has changed as formal phonological theory and psycholinguistic research continue to evolve. Through engaging with both classic and current research, we will seek to answer the question: what do speakers need in order to know about the sounds and sound patterns of their language? Topics to cover include the role of phonetic naturalness; our sensitivity to the gradient nature of phonotactics; the role of lexical statistics, word frequency, and phonological neighborhood density; and our awareness of fine acoustic and nonacoustic details of how speech is produced. We will also cover how our phonology is affected by those we speak with, and how our attention to certain acoustic cues can result in perceptual stretching and illusions, especially in cases of producing and perceiving foreign languages, adapting loanwords into the native phonology, and even juggling multiple phonologies in one’s own mind.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): LING 211 or LING 320
Instructional Method: Conference-laboratory
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Not offered: 2024-25
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.