This class is taught in English.

Develop a foundational understanding of articulatory phonetics:
Students will learn about the consonants, vowels, and transcription methods using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for various languages, and apply this knowledge in both laboratory settings and real-life contexts.

Analyze syllable structure and its impact on language rhythm:
Students will examine the structure of syllables, understand their components, and explore how syllable structure affects the rhythm and phonological patterns of languages.

Comprehend phonological processes and their role in language:
Students will categorize and analyze phonological processes such as addition/deletion, assimilation/dissimilation, strengthening/weakening, and metathesis, and understand how these processes shape the sound grammar of languages.

Explore phonological variation and attitudes:
Students will investigate phonological variation in different English varieties (e.g., Chicano English, Black English, Standard English), analyze patterns and rules, and evaluate existing attitudes toward speakers of these varieties.

Design and conduct a matched guise test:
Students will choose appropriate accents from the Speech Accent Archive, create a hypothesis, design a questionnaire, select research participants ethically, conduct the experiment, and analyze the gathered data.

Utilize critical thinking and analytical skills in data interpretation:
Students will interpret and describe experiment results using both visual representations and written analysis, applying critical thinking skills to synthesize, evaluate, and compare findings.

Effectively communicate research findings:
Students will present their experiment results, conclusions, and insights to the class, showcasing their ability to communicate research outcomes effectively and engagingly.

Demonstrate ethical research conduct:
Students will adhere to ethical guidelines when conducting the experiment, ensuring informed consent, participant rights, and protection of identities, and justify their research choices accordingly.

Enhance teamwork and collaboration skills:
Through class discussions, group activities, and the informal presentation of research, students will develop teamwork and collaboration skills, fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Apply course concepts to real-world language attitudes and biases:
Students will relate the course content to real-world contexts, encouraging a deeper understanding of language attitudes, biases, and their impact on society.

-- Experience teaching 13-18 year olds on Outschool since 2020
--25+ years teaching language and linguistics
--Doctorate in sociolinguistics
--Experience leading caring and critical classroom discussions surrounding linguistic discrimination, issues of race and ethnicity in language variation

Homework Offered
Between Weeks 7 and 8, students will conduct their experiment by interviewing family and friends using their developed questionnaire, and recording responses. All other work will be done primarily in class, but if a student tends to take longer to make decisions or write, they may need to finish after class before the next class.
0 - 1 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Informal feedback in class is the primary assessment. Students may also turn in their written results and conclusions for feedback from the instructor, but this is not required.
Grades Offered

We will use the following web resources in this class:

Speech Accent Archive, a repository for various accents of English: https://accent.gmu.edu/

The IPA for phonetic transcription: https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/IPAcharts/IPA_chart_orig/pdfs/IPA_Kiel_2020_full.pdf

An online keyboard for typing IPA symbols: https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/html-ipa-keyboard-v1/keyboard/

An interactive IPA chart for hearing properties of human speech: https://www.ipachart.com/