Germanic Languages | German Phonetics and Phonology
G548 | 26367 | Tracy Alan Hall
2:30-3:45 / MW
Phonology is the branch of linguistics devoted to sound structure.
This course is an accelerated introduction to the study of the
phonology of Modern German (supplemented with a brief overview of
phonetics) within recent, mainstream generative theory, with emphasis
on description, analysis and argumentation. Students will become
familiar with some of the central issues in phonological theory and
the relevance of the German data to these issues. We will discuss
several areas of German phonology, including the status of final
devoicing, the aspiration of voiceless stops, the ich-Laut vs.
ach-Laut alternation, the phonology of /r/, g-spirantization, glottal
stop epenthesis and the status of the velar nasal.
No background in linguistics is assumed. German is not a prerequisite
for this course. All readings will be in English. A course packet
containing all readings will be available at the beginning of the
semester. Course material will be in the form of instructor-generated
The course grade will be based on the following criteria: (a) several
problem sets (including a short squib), (b) the course paper, (c) the
presentation of the paper, and (d) class participation.
Mangold, Max; et al. (2000) Duden Aussprachewörterbuch: Wörterbuch der
deutschen Standardaussprache. (Duden, Band 6.) 4. Auflage.
Optional textbook (for students with little or no background in
Hall, T. A. (2000). Phonologie. Eine Einführung. Berlin: De Gruyter.