S425  Spanish Phonetics   (3 credits)           LINGUISTICS
Prerequisite:   S310, S311, or equivalent

The field of phonology and phonetics has as its primary goal the
description of the sounds produced in the world's languages.  Students
enrolled in this course will develop the necessary vocabulary and
theoretical knowledge to describe the sound system of Spanish, and to
contrast it with English.  Although this course requires knowledge of
theoretical aspects of phonology and phonetics, there are two
important applications that make this course especially practical.
First, the ability to describe the sound system of Spanish in
technical terms will enable students to analyze their own
pronunciation and to use such knowledge to increase their awareness of
standard pronunciation.  Students interested in teaching Spanish in
the future will gain insight into the problems faced by
English-speaking learners of Spanish.  Second, students will work with
recorded speech from speakers of several varieties of Spanish, thereby
gaining experience with a broad group of native-speakers and improving
their own perceptive skills.

Required Text: Teschner, R.  (1996).  Camino Oral: FONETICA,
FONOLOGIA Y PRACTICA DE LOS SONIDOS DEL ESPANOL. New York:
McGraw-Hill.  (This textbook comes with a required cassette tape.)

Course Requirements: Daily preparation, including textbook readings
and homework assignments, and active class participation are essential
for success in this course.  In addition to periodic graded homework
assignments, students will complete three short exams and a final
project.  This project will be presented in a conference-style
workshop at the end of the semester.

S425  4356  1:00P-2:15P  MW  BH 322 Prof. Kimberly Geeslin

NOTE: Students wishing to receive credit for honors work must register
for this course under the rubric of READINGS FOR HONORS, S498, section
#4363.