Phonology: Theory and Description

Aimed principally at the undergraduate student, this exciting new textbook provides a compact presentation of the fundamental concepts of phonology. The four main themes–syllable structure, feature structure, rules and stress/ rhythm include illuminating references to a variety of languages. No previous knowledge of contemporary phonological theory is assumed beyond that found in a typical first year introductory course, and each chapter includes helpful exercises and further reading. This colume is an essential text for students of linguistics, English language and speech sciences.

List of Figures. List of Tables. Preface. Acknowledgements. List of Abbreviations and Symbols. 1. Preliminaries to Phonology. 2. Phonological Processes. 3. Syllables and Syllabification. 4. Distinctive Features. 5. Rules and Domains. 6. Postlexical Processes in English. 7. Stress and Rhythm. 8. Stress and Rhythm in English. Notes. References. Language Index. Subject Index.

Andrew Spencer is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex. He has published widely on phonological theory, developmental phonology and morphology. He is the author of Morphological Theory (Blackwell, 1991).

"Andrew Spencer′s textbook provides an excellent introduction to the field. Not only does it present the essentials of phonological analysis in a clear and accessible manner, it incorporates sufficient theory to acquaint students with a range of current research issues." Elizabeth Hume, Ohio State University "A clear, up–to–date introductory text. The chapters on syllables, and on rules and domains, are particularly well done." Moira Yip, University of California, Irvine "This is a lively and accessible introduction to phonology for undergraduates. Its focus on English makes it useful for potential linguists as well as for potential teachers of English as a second language." Ellen Broselow, State University of New York at Stonybrook