Practical Phonetics 3301-L1PAPPh
The course in Practical Phonetics aims to cover various aspects of correct English pronunciation, addressing both the quality of speech sounds and prosodic features (such as sentence rhythm, word stress, etc.). Accordingly, the course covers the following topics:
- a comparative English-Polish phonetic description of the English consonant and vowel systems, designed to raise students' awareness of potential areas of sound interference,
- English diphthongs from a Polish-English contrastive perspective,
- Polish phonological and phonetic rules responsible for the so-called "Polish accent" in English—such as Voice Assimilation, Pre-voicing, Surface Palatalization, Nasal Gliding before fricatives, and Glide Insertion—along with practical advice for students on eliminating these pronunciation errors,
- English rhythm, Vowel Reduction in unstressed positions, strong and weak forms, and correct prosodic patterns (word stress and tonic stress, intonation patterns),
- aspects of connected speech (including rapid speech): word linking, the distribution of linking segments, assimilations, elisions, and palatalisations.
Course coordinators
Term 2025Z: | Term 2026Z: |
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the student knows and understands:
conventions of spoken English, particularly those referring to its phonetics (K_W08)
Abilities: the student is able to use spoken English at the minimum level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, with emphasis placed on pronunciation, word and sentence stress and rhythm. (K_U08)
Social competences: the student is ready to
critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources as regards pronunciation, stress and rhythm of English
Assessment criteria
Oral test consisting in the reading of words, phrases, sentences or/and longer texts selected from the materials used in the course, optionally pre-recorded by students, in the way reflecting the correct pronunciation of individual sounds as well as appropriate stress and rhythm. Retakes look the same. Their number is determined by individual teachers in the description of their course.
Teaching methods:
Techniques employed include listening to and distinguishing sounds, listening and imitating, reading phonetic transcriptions, accurate reading of phrases and texts, and analytical exercises examining the relationship between spelling and pronunciation.
Two formally justified absences are allowed. Extending the limit requires specifying ways of making up for them.
Bibliography
Hewings, Martin : English Pronunciation in Use - Advanced. CUP. + CDs
Ponsonby, Mimi. (1999): How Now Brown Cow. Prentice Hall. [
Roach, Peter. (1991): English Phonetics and Phonology. CUP.
Vaughan-Rees, Michael. (1994): Rhymes and Rhythm. Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
Wells. J.C. (2004): Pronouncing Dictionary. Longman Ltd.
Wilson-Morris, ian (1984): English Phonemic Transcription. Basil Blackwell Ltd Oxford