Understanding Phonology

This widely acclaimed textbook provides a complete introduction to the phonology of human languages ideal for readers with no prior knowledge of the subject.

This skilfully written text provides a broad, yet up-to-date, introduction to phonology. Assuming no previous knowledge of phonology or linguistic theory, the authors introduce the basic concepts and build on these progressively, discussing the main theories and illustrating key points with carefully chosen examples. A wide range of phenomena are covered: speech production, segmental contrasts, tone, quantity, prosodic structure, metrical relations and intonation. The main theories, including feature geometry and optimality theory are introduced, and their contributions to our understanding of phonology, as well as their shortcomings, are discussed objectively.

This new edition has been updated and revised to meet the needs of today's students. Difficult points are given fuller explanation, references have been updated, and new exercises have been introduced to enable students to consolidate their learning.

..gives a clear and accurate picture of current phonological theory in a small number of pages.
Nina Groennum, University of Copenhagen, about a previous edition

This is an excellent book. Clear, concise and explicit about problem areas. The exercises are very good and extremely useful.
John Goldsmith, University of Chicago, about a previous edition

"Readers will appreciate an introduction to phonology which requires time and effort to allow a consolidation of acquired knowledge for students and for those who are new in the field. The fact that this volume has been reprinted in 2005 attests to its quality and popularity among professional readers and students alike."

Chantal Paboudjian, The Phonetician, about a previous edition