LING 250-0
Sound Patterns in Human Language
Introduction to phonetics and phonology. Description and classification of speech sounds in terms of articulation, acoustics, and perception. Similarities and differences of sound patterns across languages. Introduction to speech technology.
2026 Fall
Topics
- By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Describe how the human vocal tract functions to create speech sounds in human languages, and recognize and describe the articulatory characteristics of speech sounds. 2. Describe the essential acoustic characteristics of human speech sounds, and identify and measure those characteristics in digitized speech. 3. Recognize the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and their associated speech sounds, and use the IPA for phonetic transcription of spoken English. 4. Recognize and describe the sound inventories of individual languages, and their sound patterns, in terms of phonemes, allophones and syllables. Analyze sound patterns using formal (symbolic) rules. 5. Recognize and describe how phonetic and phonological models of sound structure are applied in the development of technologies for automatic speech recognition and speech synthesis.
Readings
- Title: The Sounds of Language: An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology, 2nd edition. Elizabeth C. Zsiga, March 2024. ISBN: 978-1-119-87848-3.
Prerequisites & course information
Natural Sciences Foundational Discipline SoC Mathematics, Science, and Technology Distro
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- Official class description ↗2026 Fall