Schedule of topics

Linguistic Phonetics · Fall 2025

Highlighted items are future plans that may be subject to adjustment.

Monday
Wednesday
Friday
[outline] Aug 18
Introduction to this course
Phonetics in linguistic theory
[outline] Aug 20
International Phonetic Alphabet
English sounds and symbols
[lab] Aug 22 (lab)
Introduction to Praat
English sounds and symbols
[outline] Aug 25
Properties of sound waves
Simple periodic waves
[outline] Aug 27
Complex periodic waves
[lab] [outline] Aug 29 (lab)
Simple and complex waves
Praat: Wave properties
Sept 1
HOLIDAY
[outline] Sept 3
Standing waves
Resonance wavelengths
[lab] [outline] Sept 5 (lab)
Resonance frequencies
Praat: Tube resonances
[outline] Sept 8
The glottal-source wave
Pitch (f0) in language
[outline] Sept 10
Source-filter model:
Schwa f0 and formants
[lab] [outline] Sept 12 (lab)
Source-filter model: Schwa
Narrow-/wide-band spectra
Sept 15
WELL-BEING DAY
[outline] Sept 17
Vowel symbols, descriptions
Introduction to vowel formants
[outline] Sept 19
Modeling formants: Tube model, Perturbation theory
[outline] Sept 22 (lab)
Vowel acoustics:
Questions and review
[lab] Sept 24 (lab)
Praat: Formant tracker, WB spectrograms; F1 x F2 plots
[lab] Sept 26 (lab)
Research questions, hypotheses
Vowel Lab working session
[lab] Sept 29 (lab)
Vowel Lab working session
[review] Oct 1
Review for exam
Oct 3
Midterm exam
[outline] Oct 6
Fricatives:
Articulation and acoustics
[outline] Oct 8
Oral stops
Bursts, formant transitions
[lab] Oct 10 (lab)
Praat: Aperiodic noise
Fricative spectral analysis
[outline] Oct 13
The larynx and phonation
VOT (voice onset time)
[lab] [outline] Oct 15 (lab)
Hypotheses: VOT and PoA
Oct 17
FALL BREAK
[lab] Oct 20 (lab)
Praat: Plosive voicing, aspiration
Hypotheses; methodology
[outline] Oct 22
Hypotheses, data graphics
Discussion: Midterm and Lab 6
[outline] Oct 24
Nasal stops
Approximants
[outline] Oct 27
Review: Consonants
Reading spectrograms
[outline] Oct 29
Reading research papers:
From RQs to experiment design
[article ppsl] Oct 31 (lab)
Project working session:
Article proposal
[outline] Nov 3
Digital signal processing (DSP)
Making good recordings
Nov 5 (lab)
Project working session:
Article report, project proposal
Nov 7
Community, identity, variation
Vowel normalization
Nov 10 (lab)
Project working session:
Project proposal
Nov 12
Airstream mechanisms
Phonation types
Nov 14 (lab)
Project working session:
Analysis plan
Nov 17
Speech perception
Nov 19
Review for final exam
Reading spectrograms
Nov 21 (lab)
Project working session:
Slides and presentation
Nov 24 (lab)
Project working session:
Slides and presentation
Nov 26
THANKSGIVING
Nov 28
THANKSGIVING
Dac 1
Project presentations
Dec 3
Project presentations

** Final exam period: F Dec 5, 8-11am **