AJ2201 Phonetics and Phonology A

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Irena Hůlková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Irena Hůlková, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ2201/01: Tue 8:00–9:50 učebna 64, I. Hůlková
AJ2201/02: Wed 16:00–17:50 učebna 64, I. Hůlková
AJ2201/03: Tue 10:00–11:50 učebna 64, I. Hůlková
AJ2201/04: Thu 8:00–9:50 učebna 64, I. Hůlková
AJ2201/05: Wed 14:00–15:50 učebna 64, I. Hůlková
AJ2201/06: Thu 13:00–14:50 učebna 64, I. Hůlková
Prerequisites
B2 according to SERRJ + enthusiasm and interest.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to raise students' awareness of the challenges a Czech learner and future English teacher may face with individual sounds. Potential issues are identified and addressed intensively through in-class and at-home drills, using a variety of handouts/worksheets compiled into a spiral-bound A4 handbook. This handbook will be available for purchase at the beginning of the first lesson of the semester. A key component of the course is personalized work with each student, along with dedicated home practice. The concept of phonemes is introduced, and the phonetic alphabet is regularly practiced through phonemic transcriptions (both from written texts and dictation). These exercises are thoroughly reviewed and discussed at the beginning of each lesson, with special attention given to the acoustic differences between sounds in both languages.
A midterm face-to-face consultation is required, when each student has to read a short English text aloud and subsequently they get immediate feedback and advice what they should improve and work on in terms of their English pronunciation.
Learning outcomes
The student will be able to 1. pronounce all 44 phonemes in British English correctly and describe how they are produced;
2. distinguish between Czech and English phonemes and explain the main differences between them;
3. use phonemic transcription in the following ways: transcription from dictation, transcription from a written text and reading from transcription;
4. put theory regarding the correct pronunciation into practice when teaching English at any level.
Syllabus
  • The following areas will be covered:
  • - introduction to phonetics and phonology, phonemic chart, phonetic alphabet
  • - the most frequent sound in English: the schwa /ə/
  • - English open /æ/ in contrast with the English /e/ and with the Czech "e"
  • - English vowels such as /ɪ/ x /i:/, /ʊ/ x /u:/, /ɒ/ x /ɔ:/ and /ʌ/ x /ɑ:/
  • - English diphthongs in words like "go" /əʊ/, "here" /ɪə/, "there" /eə/ and pure /ʊə/ and changes in their contemporary use
  • - voiced x voiceless consonants at the end of words and pronunciation of endings (plural and the third person singular, past simple "-ed")
  • - aspiration
  • - English voiceless and voiced "th", i.e., /θ/ and /ð/
  • - English velar /ŋ/ (ng)
  • - /v/ versus /w/
  • - /r/ in British versus American English; silent /r/ in British English
  • - dark /ɫ/ versus clear /l/
Literature
    required literature
  • ASHTON, Helen and Sarah SHEPHERD. Work on your accent. First edition. London: Collins, 2012, iii, 151. ISBN 9780007462919. info
  • BAKER, Ann. Ship or sheep? : an intermediate pronunciation course. Illustrated by Leslie Marshall. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981, v, 168. ISBN 052128354X. info
  • ROACH,P.English Phonetics and Phonology.Cambridge:Cambridge university Press,2000.ISBN 0-521-78613-14
  • The course is based on individual handouts available in the moodle course for each lesson. These handouts are obligatory for both class and home work, and are accompanied by their audio recordings.
    recommended literature
  • O'CONNOR,J.D. Sounds English.Longman,1991.ISBN 0-582-01439-5
Teaching methods
drill, listening & repetition, discussion, transcription, one-to-one consultations
Assessment methods
The course finishes with a credit/zápočet obtained by students who actively participate in the lessons and meet the following requirements:
- regular attendance strongly recommended
- home practice and home assignments - mainly transcriptions
- taking all online quizzes in our Moodle course
- taking a midterm test (consisting of transcription from a written text and dictation) - pass mark = 70%
- midterm consultation
- final consultation and credit test (comprising transcription from a written text and dictation). The pass mark is 70 per cent.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
http://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=2447
The framework of the course is based on individual activities, exercises and recordings which are available for each lesson in the e-learning course at moodlinka.ped.muni.cz. All the written materials (handouts, worksheets, homework assignments) accompanying each lesson and compiled into a spiral-bound A4 handbook will be available for purchase at the beginning of the first lesson.

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In the course, the use of AI is permitted for learning but not for cheating. It is acceptable to use AI for brainstorming ideas, basic proofreading, suggestions for improvement. It is unacceptable to have a text generated, translated or reformulated. Remember to acknowledge all innovative ideas that are not yours. For generated ideas use in-text citations. At the end of each assignment, state how you worked/did not work with AI. When in doubt, consult your teacher.

The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
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