Introducing phonetics and phonology. 2nd edn. By Mike Davenport and S. J. Hannahs.
Reviewed by
Introducing phonetics and phonology is an introductory undergraduate textbook that discusses the fundamentals of articulatory and acoustic phonetics (Chs. 1–6) and the main concepts and frameworks in phonological theory (Chs. 7–12). For its second edition, the volume has been revised and a chapter on suprasegmentals has been added.
Ch. 1, which briefly discusses generative linguistics, serves as a general introduction to the areas of phonetics and phonology. Chs. 2–4 focus on articulatory phonetics and the articulatory characterization of the consonants and vowels of British and American English. Ch. 5 provides a basic introduction to acoustic phonetics, covering the acoustic properties of speech sounds and the two most commonly used types of acoustic displays: spectrograms and waveforms.
Ch. 6, new to the second edition, concentrates on suprasegmentals. It looks in detail at the syllable and its organization and also considers stress, tone, and intonation. The remaining chapters offer an introduction to phonology. Ch. 7 provides an overview of features, and Ch. 8 outlines the fundamentals of phonological analysis, including the distinction between phonemes and allophones and the difference between surface and underlying forms. Ch. 8 also introduces the concept of the phonological rule, further explained in Ch. 9, which discusses phonological processes and alternations.
Ch. 10 deals with feature organization and introduces feature geometry, autosegmental phonology, and underspecification. A more advanced discussion of syllable structure is also included in this chapter, as well as some information on other units of phonological organization like the mora and the foot. Ch. 11 focuses on derivational analyses and examines important issues for any phonologist, including how to decide among competing analyses and how to choose underlying forms. Ch. 12 discusses the tension between the abstract and the concrete and covers issues such as learnability, plausibility, and the need to distinguish between synchrony and diachrony in phonological analyses. Lexical phonology and optimality theory are also briefly discussed in the last chapter. The volume ends with a list of references and various indices.
This volume is a very accessible and readable introduction to phonetics and phonology. Some of its highlights are the concise and straightforward explanation of how to conduct phonological analyses and of the issues every analyst has to be aware of when choosing among competing analyses or frameworks.
This book might be best suited as a primary textbook for introductory linguistic courses that cover the basics of both phonetics and phonology, especially for students with no previous background in linguistics. Since it discusses many varieties of British and American English, this book is also a good option for introductory linguistic courses in English programs. Suggestions for further relevant secondary sources and a few exercises are offered at the end of every chapter, which can help to supplement the presentation of the topics covered in this book.