A Practical Introduction to Phonetics (Oxford Textbooks in Linguistics)

An understanding of phonetics - of the mechanisms of speech, of how the sounds of language are produced, and of how they can be analysed and classified - is an essential acquirement for all those who have to deal with language and languages either theoretically or practically. This book is an introduction to general phonetics which explores the entire range of human sounds, systematically covering all types of modification of speech (breath, voice, whisper, creak, etc.), articulation (the ways in which the air stream is finally modulated to generate specific types of sound), and prosodic features (stress, syllable, tone, intonation, etc.).In addition, there is a chapter on sound systems - the ways in which particular languages utilize and systematize the universal sound-producing potential of man.The entire range of phonetic categories is introduced in 124 'experiments', to be carried out in the readrer's own vocal tract.In this way, the reader acquires a personal awareness of the prin