Phonetic Study of West African Languages
Phonetic Study of West African Languages

Author: P. Ladefoged

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-07-16

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 9780521116237

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When it was first published in 1968, this monograph was among the most important contributions to the area of phonetic research in Africa since the publication of Westermann and Ward's Practical Phonetics for Students of African Languages in 1933. Drawing from a sample of sixty-one West African languages, Dr Ladefoged offers a description of the phonetic elements that cause differences in lexical and grammatical meaning. In particular, he focuses on unusual sounds, highlighting their linguistic function and providing a detailed account of their application in the languages concerned. Supplementing Dr Ladefoged's analyses are a number of helpful diagrams and illustrations as well as two appendices and a bibliography.

A Test in Phonetics
A Test in Phonetics

Author: B. Siertsema

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13: 940117752X

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If Phonetics is a comparatively recent subject for European students of foreign languages and is eyed by them with some sus picion as an invention that is meant to make their studies difficult, it is even more so with English Phonetics for African students. Have not Africans been learning English for over a century, and with good results in many cases, without giving a thought to its phonetics? Why introduce this new subject and add to the number of books they have to read and the number of examinations they have to pass before they can get their degree? Yet if the study of a foreign language is to be up to date its phonetics cannot be neglected; on the contrary, it is as important as the study of its spelling, if not more so. With the invention of radio and telephone, of gramophone and tape-recorders, the importance of the spoken word has increased immensely and it is far more essential now than it was a hundred years ago that those who learn a foreign language should learn to speak it properly. Thus a new subject has been added to the schedule of language students and teachers: the study and practice of the sounds of the language, and for the teachers also the study of how to teach these sounds.

Fundamentals of Phonetics, Phonology and Tonology
Fundamentals of Phonetics, Phonology and Tonology

Author: Rose-Juliet Anyanwu

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9783631577462

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This book is, to some extent, a reference work uniting theory and description. It comprises four structured parts: Phonetics, Phonology, Tonology, and Specific African Sound Patterns. By means of concrete examples, the book describes and compares a wide range of basic and current issues and facts that are of utmost relevance for all persons working on language or linguistics as well as in related fields. The book provides core instruments needed and used in the study of phonology and phonological analyses. It discusses modern phonological theories. Phonological issues and processes, such as vowel harmony, assimilation, dissimilation, lenition, as well as fortition are explained. Prosodic topics, such as tone, stress, pitch, and intonation are considered. Issues in tonology include tonological analysis, tonal behaviour and rules. Special attention is given to specific sounds found in African languages.

Practical Phonetics for Students of African Languages
Practical Phonetics for Students of African Languages

Author: D Westermann

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-06-03

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 1317406281

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First published in 1933, this book looks at the phonetics of African languages. It argues that a good grounding in phonetics and tone work is an indispensable preliminary to anyone embarking on a study of African language and so provides the material necessary for this in a simple form. The volume is primarily a practical manual for students of African languages but will also be an invaluable tool for students of general linguistics as a work of scientific interest. The languages observed present features of language that are very different to those found in Europe.