Author Description

Phonetics is an auditory-based skill that can only be acquired through listening and pronouncing. So one may wonder whether learning about phonetics from a book is the most effective way to understand it. This is what makes Small's Fundamentals of Phonetics unique -- it is not just a book, but an entire learning package, offering a CD-ROM and audio cassettes which enhance and enliven phonetic understanding for all readers. A refreshingly unique and thorough book, offering a practice-based approach. The focus of this book is on learning the skills necessary for expert phonetic transcription of individuals with disordered speech. In addition, this book emphasizes issues tied to linguistic phonetics with an introduction to clinical phonetics, and issues involving dialectal variation of speech. Each chapter is followed by an abundance of exercises that help readers apply the material presented. Without auditory examples, it is difficult for readers to develop first-hand recognition experience with dialects, word stress, and production of certain speech sounds. The CD-ROM, included with the book, and the supplemental audio cassette tapes, enable readers to listen to examples and absorb additional information. Phonics specialists, linguists, speech pathologists, and instructors and researchers in these fields.