Sound files are available for download from the Speech in Action website at www.speechinaction.com.

"Phonology for Listening brings listening in English Language Teaching into the 21st century. Learners have problems decoding fast spontaneous speech, and Phonology for Listening – using many recorded examples – provides teachers of English with new concepts, fresh thinking and innovative practical ideas to help students decode the realities of spontaneous speech. It is written for teachers of English worldwide. There are four parts, each with five chapters.

The window on speech framework introduces the framework which is used for the analysis and presentation of recorded examples and for teaching listening.

Describing spontaneous speech examines what happens to words when they are subjected to the speeds, rhythms and stresses of spontaneous speech.

Accents identity and emotion in speech describes accents of Britain and Ireland, North America and of Global English. Identity, prejudice and emotion are also covered.

Teaching listening describes practical activities – both low-tech and hi-tech – for improving the teaching of listening in the classroom.

Soundfiles are available for download from the Speech in Action website at www.speechinaction.com" (Book Cover)

CONTENTS:

Acknowledgements

Symbols and notation

Introduction
0.1 Spontaneous speech
0.2 The plight of the listener
0.3 Experiences of learners: Ying’s dilemma and Anna’s anger
0.4 What type of phonology textbook?
0.5 Part I: The window on speech framework
0.6 Part 2: Describing spontaneous speech
0.7 Part 3: Accents, identity, and emotion in speech
0.8 Part 4: Teaching listening
0.9 Recordings
0.10 Symbols and notation
0.11 Terminology
0.12 Activities
0.13 Website
0.14 Finally
References for the Introduction

Part 1: The window on speech framework

1. Phonology, listening and Ying’s dilemma
1.1 Definitions
1.2 Ying’s dilemma
1.3 The blur gap
1.4 Careful speech: the wrong model for listening
1.5 Spontaneous speech: the right model for listening
1.6 Invisible, transient, speedy
1.7 Plasticity: soundshapes
1.8 Varying clarity
1.9 A clash of models
1.10 Spontaneous speech is unscripted
1.11 Listening is a private process
1.12 Summary and what’s next
1.13 Further reading
1.14 Language awareness activities

2. Prominence, the speech unit and squeeze zones
2.1 The citation form
2.2 The citation form and prominence
2.3 Non-prominent syllables in squeeze zones
2.4 Non-prominent syllables and speaker choice
2.5 Spontaneous speech
2.6 Displaying speech units
2.7 Clauses and speech units
2.8 Summary and what’s next
2.9 Further reading
2.10 Language awareness activities

3. Transcription I: Speech units
3.1 Single-prominence speech units
3.2 Double-prominence speech units
3.3 Triple-prominence speech units
3.4 Quadruple-prominence speech units
3.5 Larger speech units
3.6 Incomplete speech units
3.7 Prominent or non-prominent?
3.8 Boundaries
3.9 Speech units, clauses, non groups, verb groups
3.10 Summary and what’s next
3.11 Further reading
3.12 Language awareness activities

4. Transcription II: Tones, contours and key
4.1 Principles and terminology
4.2 Five tones on a monosyllable
4.3 Five tones over two syllables
4.4 Five tones over many syllables
4.5 Key: high, mid, low
4.6 Frequency of tones
4.7 Vocal range
4.8 Capturing the whole contour
4.9 Summary and what’s next
4.10 Further reading
4.11 Language awareness activities

5. Transcription III: Reliability and meaning
5.1 An additional model of speech
5.2 What does a transcription represent?
5.3 Reliability of a transcription
5.4 The principle of best fit
5.5 The principle of the plight of the learner
5.6 Levels of transcription
5.7 Relationship to Discourse Intonation
5.8 Comparison with other frameworks
5.9 Relationship to meaning
5.10 Summary and what’s next
5.11 Further reading
5.12 Language awareness activities
References for Part 1
Answer key for Part 1

Part 2: Describing spontaneous speech

6. Drafting phenomena
6.1 Silent pauses
6.2 Filled pauses: vocalized pauses and stepping stones
6.3 Repetitions
6.4 Restarts
6.5 Markers of imprecision like… kind of
6.6 Softeners
6.7 References to speaker roles you know, I mean
6.8 Summary and what’s next
6.9 Further reading
6.10 Language awareness activities

7. Speed of speech
7.1 Unreliable judgments
7.2 Benchmarking the speed of speech
7.3 Words and syllables
7.4 Syllable-to-word ratio
7.5 Accelerations
7.6 Content, speed and length of speech units
7.7 Speed in L2 English speech
7.8 Summary and what’s next
7.9 Further reading
7.10 Language awareness activities

8. Soundshapes I: function words
8.1 Definitions and a reminder of Ying’s dilemma
8.2 Function words and weak forms
8.3 Word clusters and phonetic indeterminacy
8.4 Phonetic symbols and informal representation
8.5 The many soundshapes of and
8.6 And then, and that
8.7 In the
8.8 We were
8.9 Negatives
8.10 Function words with content words
8.11 An extreme squeeze
8.12 Summary and what’s next
8.13 Further reading
8.14 Language awareness activities

9. Soundshapes II: Content words
9.1 Stress shift
9.2 Stress shift to the right
9.3 Contrastive stress
9.4 Climbing
9.5 Produced
9.6 Truth value actually, literally, certainly
9.7 Vagueness something, just, perhaps
9.8 Going
9.9 Summary and what’s next
9.10 Further reading
9.11 Language awareness activities

10. Rhythms of spontaneous speech
10.1 Stress-timing: definitions
10.2 Syllable timing: definitions
10.3 Stress-timing theory
10.4 Syllable-timing theory
10.5 Experimental evidence
10.6 Isochrony in a triple-prominence speech unit
10.7 Isochrony in spontaneous speech is rare
10.8 Coincidental isochrony
10.9 Pre-packaged language
10.10 Putting stress timing in perspective
10.11 Summary and what’s next
10.12 Further reading
10.13 Language awareness activities
References for Part 2
Answer key for Part 2
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Part 3: Accents, Identity and emotion in speech

11. British English and American English
11.1 Which British English, which American English?
11.2 Symbols
11.3 Vowels
11.4 Consonants
11.5 Word stress and non-prominent syllables
11.6 Intonation
11.7 Summary and what’s next
11.8 Further reading
11.9 Language awareness activities

12. Accents of Britain and Ireland
12.1 Describing accents
12.2 Accent, identity and prejudice
12.3 Changing an accent
12.4 Five countries, five accents
12.5 Accents in four cities
12.6 Bi-accentedness
12.7 Trends in accent change: are regional accents becoming weaker?
12.8 Prejudices: a personal note
12.9. Summary and what’s next
12.10 Further reading
12.11 Language awareness activities

13. Accents of North America
13.1 Canada – Toronto
13.2 New York
13.3 Virginia
13.4 Tennessee
13.5 Texas
13.6 African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
13.7 Summary and what’s next
13.8 Further reading
13.9 Language awareness activities

14. Accents of Global English
14.1 Lydia’s feelings about her own accent
14.2 Richard from England
14.3 Andrzej from Poland: University Professor
14.4 Hector from Venezuela: Musician
14.5 Caroline from France: University researcher
14.6 Mohamed from Sudan: University professor
14.7 Silvia from Romania: Clerical assistant
14.8 Summary and what’s next
14.9 Further reading
14.10 Language awareness activities

15. Emotion in speech
15.1 The labelling problem
15.2 The assumption of a causal connection
15.3 Inhibiting learners
15.4 The mystery of disappearing anger
15.5 Emotional involvement
15.6 Inadvertently rude?
15.7 Acclimatisation
15.8 Summary and what’s next
15.8 Further reading
15.9 Language awareness activities
References for Part 3
Part 3 Answer key

Part 4: Teaching listening

16. Issues in teaching listening
16.1 An omission in teacher training
16.2 Students’ reactions to listening
16.3 Listening activities vs listening goals
16.4 L1 listening vs L2 listening – stresses and osmosis
16.5 Two models revisited: careful speech and spontaneous speech
16.6 Authenticity
16.7 The blur gap revisited
16.8 The decoding gap
16.9 Listening comprehension is testing
16.10 Summary and what’s next
16.11 Further reading
16.12 Learning and teaching activities

17. Goals and mindset
17.1 A goal for learners
17.2 A goal for teachers
17.3 Two models, five metaphors
17.4 Letting go of the careful speech model
17.5 Neutralising the blur gap
17.6 Dealing with the decoding gap
17.7 Questions and answers
17.8 Questions from students
17.9 The value of short extracts
17.10 No one right away
17.11 Learners’ discomfort and frustration
17.12 Summary and what’s next
17.13 Further reading
17.14 Learning and teaching activities

18. Vocal gymnastics in the classroom
18.1 Stepping stones
18.2 Drafting phenomena
18.3 Word squeezer
18.4 Reducing words and syllables in the squeeze zones
18.5 Seeking amusing alternatives –mondegreens
18.6 Sequences of frequent forms
18.7 Teaching new vocabulary
18.8 Summary and what’s next
18.9 Further Reading
18.10 Learning and teaching activities

19. Rebalancing listening comprehension
19.1 Listening comprehension, a particular point of view
19.2 The value of short extracts
19.3 Preparing for listening: identifying short extracts
19.4 Pre-, while-, and post-listening
19.5 Handling and savouring the sound substance
19.6 The question as a focusing device
19.7 Handling different soundshapes
19.8 Respecting our students’ perceptions
19.9 Using the transcript
19.10 Impromptu dictations
19.11 Summary and what’s next
19.12 Further reading
19.13 Learning and teaching activities

20. Hi-tech solutions and activities
20.1 Resources on the Internet
20.2 Copyright
20.3 Digital audio editors
20.4 Pronunciation dictionaries
20.5 Dictionary examples
20.6 Text to speech
20.7 Navigating, annotating and mining a recording
20.8 Producing versions at different speeds
20.9 Handling: comparing and deciding
20.10 Student projects: Sampling and dictations
20.11 Conclusion
20.12 Further reading
20.13 Learning and teaching activities
References for Part 4

Appendices
1. Two models of speech
2. Calculating the speed of speech
3. Word clusters of three or more words
4. Creating an obscure acoustic blur

Glossary