Phonetics for Dummies - (For Dummies) by William F Katz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The science of how people produce and perceive speech, phonetics has an array of real-world applications, from helping engineers create an authentic sounding Irish or Canadian accent for a GPS voice, to assisting forensics investigators identifying the person whose voice was caught on tape, to helping a film actor make the transition to the stage. Phonetics is a required course among students of speech pathology and linguistics, and it's a popular elective among students of telecommunications and forensics. The first popular guide to this fascinating discipline, Phonetics For Dummies is an excellent overview of the field for students enrolled in introductory phonetics courses and an ideal introduction for anyone with an interest in the field.

Bonus instructional videos, video quizzes, and other content available online for download on the dummies.com product page for this book.

From the Back Cover

Learn to:

• Understand the science behind speech
• Grasp real-world applications of phonetics
• Transcribe speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
• Perform well in your phonetics course

The clear and easy way to understand the science behind speech!

This detailed guide helps you comprehend the process of how speech is produced, how to transcribe speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), how to read a sound spectrogram, and so much more. Written in plain English, and accompanied by dozens of helpful illustrations and a free online resource, this is your go-to guide to the fascinating world of phonetics!

• Start with Phonetics 101 -- understand the basics of speech, fixed and movable articulators, and speech sound classifications
• Meet your "secret code" -- find out how to use the IPA to transcribe speech
• Get a primer on speech acoustics -- explore the fundamental frequency of phonation, harmonics, and formant frequencies
• Delve into practical transcribing situations -- become familiar with how to transcribe accents, dialects, children's speech, and disordered speech
• Learn the real-world applications of phonetics -- discover the role phonetics plays in speech language pathology, audiology, language teaching, forensics, telecommunications, acting, voice coaching, and more

Open the book and find:

• The fundamentals of phonetics and phonology
• How speech is produced
• Tips on reading a sound spectrogram
• How to understand the melody of language
• Ways to transcribe emotion in speech
• How to avoid ten common mistakes beginner transcribers make
• Practical experience transcribing vowels, consonants, and phonological processes with the online resource

About the Author

William F. Katz, PhD, is Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he teaches and directs research in linguistics, speech science, and language disorders. He has pioneered new treatments for speech loss after stroke, and he studies an unusual disorder known as "foreign accent syndrome."