A Course in Phonetics [Paperback]

Peter Ladefoged (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0155073192 | ISBN-13: 978-0155073197 | Edition: 4

The easy to understand approach builds on the basics, beginning with technical terms required for describing speech and transcription symbols before moving on to the phonetics of English and other languages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I haven't seen any texts that compare with Ladefoged's."

"The exercises help students internalize and get the hands-on practice that they need for understanding each concept presented."

"The CD--audio examples are crucial ... particularly helpful to be able to click on the IPA symbol and hear the sound."

"...THE authoritative text in phonetics." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Peter Ladefoged, UCLA Research Phonetician and Professor Emeritus, was Director of the UCLA Phonetics Laboratory from 1962 to 1991. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1959. His major research interests have been in experimental phonetics and in describing the sounds of the world's languages. He has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, India, Australia, China, and elsewhere, recording a wide range of languages. He was president of the International Phonetic Association (1986-1991) and of the Linguistic Society of America (1980). Among his other honors is a Distinguished Teaching Award from UCLA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 4 edition (July 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0155073192
• ISBN-13: 978-0155073197
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for Linguistics students, June 21, 2000

By 

Suzanne Jacobs "chanale" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Course in Phonetics (Paperback)

"A Course in Phonetics" is the best book available on introductory Phonetics, and I recommend it whole-heartedly for every Linguistics student, but not necessarily for those with a general interest in Linguistics and languages. What I found to be especially useful are the sections of exercises at the end of each chapter to test what you've learned. The exercises are very well designed; however, the one drawback is that the book contains no answer key (that can only be found in the professor's copy).

The sections on Articulatory Phonetics (how our mouths, teeth, and tongues interact to make sounds) and Phonetic transcription,which uses current standard IPA symbols,are particularly good. On that note, what I find lacking in the book is coverage of languages other than English. If you're interested in further information on transcribing in IPA in 29 major languages, I strongly recommend "Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the I!nternational Phonetic Alphabet." Also, the section on Acoustic Phonetics was a bit overwhelming for anyone in my class who didn't have any background in Physics.

Still, the book's strength is the depth it goes into, taking into account that this is an introductory book. Every major concept in Phonetics is touched upon, and Ladefoged makes particularly good use of tables and diagrammes to help the reader.

(Note 7/2001: When I wrote this review, this was the most current edition. However, the 5th edition was published in 2000, and I haven't reviewed that yet, but you might want to check it out.)

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Available for the Beginner, November 19, 2005

By 

T. Hooper "thdizzy" (Osaka, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Course in Phonetics (Paperback)

Phonetics is a notoriously technical discipline, and most books on the subject will make the beginner's head spin. Ladefoged's "A Course in Phonetics" is not one of those books. I believe this is the best introductory book to phonetics available. It's easy to read and he doesn't overload the reader with lots of technical terms. He uses simple plain English to describe phenomena that takes other writers half a dictionary to describe. The concepts aren't watered down, so this is the perfect introduction to phonetics. If you're doing serious research into phonetics and you've already taken a course in phonetics, this may be a little basic for you, but I can recommend it to everyone else.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT, June 12, 2007

By 

Sergio Verdejo Oliva "Phonetics lover" (Santiago, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Course in Phonetics (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)

Peter Ladefoged's Course in Phonetics covers the so-called science of speech (according to Professor Higgins)in every respect. Unlike many other texts on the field, this is no only meant to describe the phonological system of a language in particular or give you some background on general phonetics. This book really teaches you to become a phonetician! This is not just because of Ladefoged's imcomparable background in phonetics and physics (what a great scientist!), but also because Ladeofged himself acts like a motivator as he passes his own passion to the readers.

The interactive CD is awesome. You will be able to listen to the XX century's leading English phonetician Daniel Jones making his own cardinal vowels. There is also an invaluable x-ray short movie of different articulations, and believe me! It is really illuminating to have the chance to see that rather than beautifully designed drawings. Ladefoged himself will teach you by dictating and pronouncing a great number of words, nonsense, English and other languages.

I really recommend this book to whoever is interested or passionate about this discipline. Even though Prof. Ladefoged is not here with us anymore, this is an excellent - and for many of us the only one - chance to be taught by one of the greatest.