AAE18D EXPLORING THE WORDS & SOUNDS OF ENGLISH

This course will introduce student teachers to the basic concepts of English phonetics, phonology and morphology, and some implications for English pronunciation teaching and learning. In the study of phonetics and phonology, student teachers will explore the patterns of speech sounds in English words and sentences. They will become familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and be able to read and produce phonetic transcriptions. They will also learn about the production of vowels and consonants, as well as the various articulatory processes involved. Key aspects of English phonology: phonemes, phones, allophones, co-articulation effects, syllable structure, intonation, word and sentence stress will be covered. Student teachers will also be introduced to basic phonological theory and the concept of distinctive features. In the study of morphology, student teachers will learn the basic elements of English words: free (lexical/functional) and bound (derivational/inflectional) morphemes, and the distinction between morphs and allomorphs. In addition, they will deepen their understanding of the main word formation processes (e.g. borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping, etc.). Through this course, student teachers will be able to discuss the relationships amongst phonetics, phonology, and morphology, and to consider the variation amongst different varieties of English. There will also be opportunities for the application of knowledge gained on the course to their roles as users and prospective teachers of the English Language.