The pronunciation of a word varies across different speakers, and even across different utterances produced by the same speaker. This course is an introduction to phonetics, covering articulation, acoustics, and perception. Students will gain basic skills in experimental phonetics, including instrumental analysis of speech production using phonetic software (Praat), interpreting behavioral responses in listening tasks, and using the International Phonetic Alphabet. By the end of this course, you will be able to (1) understand the processes involved in articulating speech sounds; (2) understand what acoustic patterns result from articulatory characteristics and how to identify visualizations of them; (3) manipulate speech samples to test how listeners experience language and categorize different speech sounds.
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-SMA
The pronunciation of a word varies across different speakers, and even across different utterances produced by the same speaker. This course is an introduction to phonetics, covering articulation, acoustics, and perception. Students will gain basic skills in experimental phonetics, including instrumental analysis of speech production using phonetic software (Praat), interpreting behavioral responses in listening tasks, and using the International Phonetic Alphabet. By the end of this course, you will be able to (1) understand the processes involved in articulating speech sounds; (2) understand what acoustic patterns result from articulatory characteristics and how to identify visualizations of them; (3) manipulate speech samples to test how listeners experience language and categorize different speech sounds.
Offered in Spring 2026 at Stanford University.