Analysing Speech

Summary module description:
This is preparation for doing all kind of fieldwork which involves pronunciation. It would be useful for those interested in the pronunciation of children, in how accents differ, in analysing foreign accents, and in sociolinguistic research involving speech patterns of a particular subgroup or change of pronunciation over time.

The course begins with an examination of the uses of phonetic transcription and what sorts of detail can be captured using impressionistic phonetics. Some features are easy to hear, others are not. Next it examines instrumental techniques for examining speech, including recording and editing. The relationship between articulation and the speech waveform are examined, and we then look at the additional information which can be gleaned from displays such as spectrograms and spectral slices. Computer lab sessions will comprise a large part of this component.

At the end of the course, the student should feel confident to collect spoken language data and analyse it using several different techniques.
Aims:
This course aims to provide students with a selection of techniques for analysing spoken language, allowing the student to make sense of sound data collected in the field.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module, the student should be able to:

1) select appropriate recording equipment and organise appropriate recording environments for collecting sound files;
2) display sound files and analyse their acoustic properties;
3) relate acoustic properties to linguistic properties such as vowel and consonant quality, stress, and intonation and paralinguistic qualities such as voice type;
4) report on their findings in written form.
Additional outcomes:
The student will learn about digital sound analysis and programs available to do it.

Outline content:
Aims of course, subjects of study, choosing a corpus, analysing by ear: sounds & voices recording speech, reading waveforms, relating waveforms to articulation, spectrograms, relating spectrograms to articulation, suprasegmentals, voice quality, speech rate, case studies of normal, disordered, and child speech.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Lectures and guided seminars in computer lab.

Summative Assessment Methods:
Written assignment including essay 10%
Portfolio 10%
Project output other than dissertation 80%

Other information on summative assessment:
Coursework

Summary of article on Blackboard (10%)
Lab workbook (10%);
Project (80%)

Relative percentage of coursework: 100%

Formative assessment methods:
Penalties for late submission:
The Module Convener will apply the following penalties for work submitted late, in accordance with the University policy.
where the piece of work is submitted up to one calendar week after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for the piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Requirements for a pass:
A mark of 40% overall.