| The objectives of this course are to (1) introduce students to central concepts in Spanish phonetics, (2) expose students to the great variety of accents that exist in the Spanish-speaking world, and (3) improve students¿ Spanish pronunciation to approximate native-like production. We will explore the sound patterns of Spanish through the lens of context-conditioned phonological patterns, articulatory phonetics, and regional variation. In order to develop their knowledge of the field of linguistics, students will be required to memorize and apply the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to transcription of real-world speech samples, describe the articulatory constraints of the vocal tract that lead to various phonological processes, and explain the cognitive and communicative causes of sound change and variation. Students will have the opportunity to hear and analyze a wide variety of accents in the Spanish-speaking world. They will do this through the use of music, movies, videos, and self-directed research, in order to better acquaint themselves with the richness of pronunciation in places like Spain, the Caribbean, Central America, the Andes, and the Southern Cone region.From a practical standpoint, students will improve their own pronunciation in Spanish through hands-on application and practice. Students will learn to identify the major points of difficulty that native English speakers face when pronouncing words in Spanish, and they will learn techniques to reduce English-language traits in this context, as well as how to teach others these same techniques. Pronunciation exercises, self-analysis, partnered critiques, and interactive presentations will be utilized as part of this course¿s hands-on approach. |
