Phonology

This course aims to introduce you to a subset of problems addressed in theoretical phonology with the aim to give you a solid understanding of these problems, to give you an overview of the proposed solutions and to develop a solid mastery of some important formalisms. After a basic introduction of how to conduct a phonological analysis, how to identify phonemes and allophones, we delve into generalisation of processes across multiple phonemes and use distinctive features to account for various patterns. We also look at specific case studies exploring morphophonological alternations and accounting for generalisation. At the end of the course, it should be relatively easy for you to give an explicit and formal analysis of new data such as those seen in class, to express their potential relevance to our understanding of phonological cognition, and the challenges they pose to certain theoretical ideas, based on a thorough understanding of the theories discussed in class. We will look at challenges to phonological theory through important articles in the field, which will enhance your understanding of new directions of research in phonology.                

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:           

• Describe and analyse a subset of phonological data using various theoretical approaches discussed in class
• Build argumentation towards a proposed solution
• Critically evaluate the solutions offered by the various approaches
• Understand of the implications of a proposed analysis and its relevance to our understanding of phonological cognition
• Explore distinctive features’ account and how it allows to describe generalisations
• Evaluate specific case studies by looking at morphophonological alternations
• Having a critical eye based on new directions of research in phonology

Students will need basic knowledge of phonetics and ideally to have followed an introductory course in Phonology (even if the first few sessions will be dedicated to revisions of basics of phonological analyses)