Aims and Fit of Module

• To enable students to discover how sounds are articulated and how pronunciation works;
• To develop students’ skills in recognising, classifying and producing individual sounds and connected speech;
• To familiarize students with the International Phonetic Alphabet and the basics of phonetic transcription;
• To provide students with a theoretical understanding of intonation patterns of British English;
• To raise students’ awareness of the phonological differences between British English and Chinese;
• To demonstrate the major differences between the phonological systems of inner circle’ Englishes (USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of this module, students should be able to
a) show an understanding of speech articulation;
b) demonstrate knowledge of the phonological system of British English;
c) demonstrate familiarity with the International Phonetic Alphabet;
d) demonstrate familiarity with the principles of phonetic transcription and perform simple broad phonetic transcription tasks;
e) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the major phonological differences between English and Chinese;
f) transcribe and annotate short stretches of connected speech;
g) identify differences between varieties of ‘inner circle’ Englishes;
h) reflect critically on their own pronunciation patterns.

Method of teaching and learning

The teaching sessions are divided into three components (Lectures, Tutorials and Classes in multimedia environment).
Lectures
Tutorials
Classes and study sessions in multimedia environment