DEPARTMENT OF ROMANCE STUDIES
BOSTON UNIVERSITY - COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
The Sounds of Spanish – Fall 2012
Time:
Tues and Thursday 3:30-5pm
Location:
CAS 324
Professor: Daniel Erker
Email:
[email protected]
Office:
718 Commonwealth Ave
Office hours: Wed 9:30am-12:30pm and by
Room 501a
appt.
Course website: http://blackboard.bu.edu/bin/course.pl?course_id=12fallcasls505_a1
Course objectives:
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the linguistic analysis of speech, with a focus on
the Spanish language. We will examine the vowels and consonants of Spanish from the perspective
of articulatory and acoustic phonetics. In addition, the course will introduce core concepts in
phonological analysis, surveying the phonemic inventory and phonological organization of Spanish.
We will also investigate a range of regional variation demonstrated by so-called ‘dialects’ of
Spanish, with an emphasis on the historical and social significance of such variation in Spain, Latin
America, and the United States. In summary, this course aims to examine the sounds of Spanish as
physical, mental, and social phenomena.
Prerequisites for the course:
CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics and CAS LS 303 or a higher level Spanish course, or
permission of the instructor.
Students completing this course will learn:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
To describe and classify speech sounds in terms of their phonetic properties
To transcribe the sounds of Spanish using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
To discuss variation in the realization of speech sounds according to phonological context
To explain basic phonological processes
To demonstrate an understanding of the spectrographic analysis of vowels and consonants
To discuss the principal differences in pronunciation among regional varieties of Spanish
To discuss the historical and social significance of such variation
Required Reading (Available at Barnes and Noble in Kenmore Square):
• Schwegler, Armin, Raphael, L. J., Borden, G. J., and Harris, K. S. (2010). Fonética y
fonología españolas. John Wiley and Sons: 4th Edition. (The 3rd Edition is actually
substantially different, so please do get the 4th).
Required program:
•
Praat – available for free at www.praat.org
Course requirements and grading:
•
•
•
•
•
Weekly quizzes (30%)
Midterm examination (20%)
Final examination (20%)
Transcription Project (20%)
Classroom participation (10%)
Weekly quizzes will be administered at the beginning of each Thursday lecture and will cover
reading and lecture material from the previous week. These quizzes encourage students to complete
the weekly readings, review lecture notes and keep on top of the course material. There will be 12
quizzes in total, the first of which will be practice and will not count towards students’ course grade.
The lowest quiz grade of the remaining 11 will be dropped, making the quiz grade the result of your
10 best quizzes.
The project will involve narrow transcription of an extended Spanish speech sample (to be chosen
by students with the advisement of the instructor). The project will be discussed in detail later.
Student will conduct projects individually.
Course policies:
Late assignments are not accepted.
Missing the midterm or final examination without receiving explicit verbal permission from me
beforehand automatically drops your grade 10%, and makeups will be given only at my discretion
and convenience, provided that there is a good and compelling reason for your absence. Leaving a
message on my voice mail or sending me e-mail does not constitute receiving verbal permission
unless I have responded to you.
Procedures. Class time will be devoted to presenting information which the textbook reinforces and
also offers another viewpoint. There will be several handouts for this class, and many topics will be
covered in greater detail in class than in your textbooks. It is your responsibility (1) read material
from text or handout before coming to class, (2) to attend class promptly and regularly, (3) to obtain
any class notes for sessions you miss, and (4) print class notes (if desired) which will be posted on
Blackboard by 8 pm the night before class. I encourage you to talk to me outside of class if you are
having particular difficulties and/or have comments about the course.
Obvious other matters. No cell phones, no “extra credit”, no computers unless looking at class notes
Attendance. Students are expected to attend class. More than two unexcused absences will result in
a failing ‘Classroom Participation’ grade.
Academic Integrity. All students are responsible for understanding and complying with the BU
Academic Conduct Code, available at http://www.bu.edu/academics/resources/academic-conductcode/
Course roadmap (subject to adjustment)
Week
Quiz Reading MAIN TOPICS
for week
Dates
Sub-topics
1
9-4
9-6
Q*
2
9-11
9-13
Q
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
(Ch 6
optional)
INTRODUCTION
*Practice quiz
INTRO TO
VOWELS
THE SYLLABLE
3
GLIDES
9-18
9-20
Ch 7
Q
INTRO TO PRAAT
4
9-25
9-27
6
10-9
10-11
Q
Ch 9
Ch 10
PHONETIC
TRANSCRIPTION
Ch 12
Ch 15
No Classes
CONSONANTS
Stops
CONTINUED:
Fricatives
Sound classes
Ch 11
Ch 13
CONSONANTS
CONTINUED:
Sound classes
7
Q
Consonant inventory of Spanish
Place and manner of articulation
The vocal folds and voicing
Sound classes
Preliminaries of regional variation
Orthography and speech
The IPA in general
Phonetic symbols for Spanish
INTRO TO
CONSONANTS
5
Q
The five vowels of Spanish
Linguistic description of vowels
Articulation of vowels
Dipthongs
Hiatus
The letters i and u
The sounds [j] and [w]
Introduction to spectrograms and
waveforms
Ch 8
Q
10-2
10-4
What is phonetics?
What is phonology?
Phonemes, minimal pairs, IPA
Introduction to Spanish vowels
Nasals
Midterm Review
10-16
10-18
In Class Midterm
8
Ch 14
10-23
10-25
9
10-30
11-1
Ch 16
(Ch 17
optional)
Q
10
Ch 18
11-6
11-8
Ch 19
Ch 20
11-20
11-22
13
Ch 20
Q
14
Ch 21
12-4
12-6
15
12-11
HANDOUT
TRANSCRIPTION
PROJECT
Transcribing recorded speech
INTONATION
Intonational contours in spectrograms
Declarative intonation
Interrogative intonation
INTRO TO
DIACHRONIC &
SYNCHRONIC
VARIATION
The historical roots of Spanish
Historical sound changes
Mergers, splits, and assimilation
Seseo, Yeísmo
VARIATION
CONTINUED:
Peninsular Spanish
Regional variation within Spain
The letters z, c, s, y, ll
The phonemes /θ/ and / ʎ/
Q
12
11-27
11/29
Liquids
Rhotics
Allophonic distribution of Spanish
consonants
Q
11
11-13
11-15
CONSONANTS
CONTINUED:
Phonemes and
allophones
VARIATION
Regional variation and sociolinguistics
CONTINUED:
Variable production of: /s/, /n/,
Spanish in the
/ɾ/, /r/, /x/, /j/, /l/
Americas
No Class Thanksgiving Break
VARIATION
CONTINUED:
Spanish in the
Americas
VARIATION
CONTINUED:
Spanish in the
Unites States
Q
REVIEW
Last day of classes
Formalizing phonological processes:
Processes: deletion, aspiration,
velarization, neutralization, fortition
Spanish in contact with indigenous
languages of Latin America
Demographics
Spanish in contact in
Los Angeles, NYC, Chicago, Boston
Transcription Project Due 12-4
FINAL EXAM 12-18 3 – 5pm