Transcribing the Sound of English: A Phonetics Workbook for Words and Discourse

by Paul Tench

Do you have a fear of transcription? Are you daunted by the prospect of learning and handling unfamiliar symbols? This workbook is for students who are new to linguistics and phonetics, and offers a didactic approach to the study and transcription of the words, rhythm and intonation of English. It can be used independently or in class and covers all the pronunciation details of words, phrases, rhythm and intonation. Progress is deliberately gentle with plenty of explanations, examples and 'can't go wrong' exercises. It includes a CD of audio recordings of authentic speech, which provides back-up throughout. The CD also introduces students to variations in accents, with eleven different speakers. Going beyond the transcription of words, the book also ventures into real discourse with the simplification systems of colloquial English speech, rhythm and intonation.

Genres: Linguistics

202 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2011

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worked my way though this book on an introductory phonetics course. While I wouldn't have been able to transcribe using only this book, it definitely got me most of the way there.

For anyone thinking of using this book I would recommend that you do every exercise. At first I felt like I was wasting my time transcribing every word given as it can feel a bit repetitive, however in retrospect I think that this probably helped a lot.