Aims

This module aims to develop students’ research skills by bringing together phonological theory and experimental techniques. The module will cover skills related to reading literature in Laboratory Phonology, becoming familiar with experimental techniques in the field, and designing experiments.

Outline Of Syllabus

This course examines the relationship between phonological theory and experiments. The specific topics covered will vary from year to year. The topics covered may include one or more of the following: intonation and prosody, phonation, speech perception, typological patterns in phonology, computational linguistics, statistical techniques, among others. A detailed schedule will be provided at the start of the module.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

LECTURES are based on DIRECTED RESEARCH AND READING and focus primarily on the introduction and review of key concepts needed for the module. The reading material requires INDEPENDENT STUDY, which is consolidated through participation in class. Seminars (small group teaching) focus on SKILLS PRACTICE by combining data analysis and the concepts introduced in the reading materials and lectures. Likewise, the final research paper combines both practice and theory.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The practical/lab report will practice acoustic analysis and writing up, which will provide students with skills in speech analysis/and or data analysis. This will prepare students for the research paper.
The research paper brings together problem-solving, technical, and theoretical skills built throughout the module.