Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Academic and Research Vice-Rector

Course Syllabus

1. COURSE IDENTIFICATION

Faculty or Unit: Escuela de Ciencias de

Abbreviation: ECEDU
la Educación
Academic Level: Profesional Academic Field: Formación disciplinar
Course: English Phonetics Code: 518014
Course Type: Metodológico Number of credits: 2
Course Designer: Yennifer Vanessa Course Editor: Yennifer Vanessa
Murcia Urrego Murcia Urrego
Preparation Date: November, 2019 Update Date: November, 2019
Course Description:
The academic course English Phonetics is part of the specified problem core named,
competences in foreign languages as a means of insertion in the global environment,
and answers the following problematic question: How to train competent educators
in the domain of foreign languages according to the needs of the country that
contribute with their integration to a globalized world?
The course corresponds to the specific disciplinary training of the professional
academic level of the B.A. Lenguas Extranjeras con énfasis en Inglés; this is also a
mandatory course for undergraduate students of this program. As the course has
two credits, it is divided into two units, which refer to specific knowledge about the
segmental and suprasegmental characteristics of English sounds. The first unit
named Articulatory English sound system aims to help students to understand the
physiologically process involved in sound production, how sounds are produced and
perceived and what acoustic properties they have.
The second unit, Prosodic and suprasegmental features, attempts to explain to
students how the elements of this abstract system behave in the real context, and
the operation of sounds in specific contexts.

2. EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES

Course training purposes:

General purpose
-To familiarize students with the segmental and suprasegmental characteristics in
the production of foreign language sounds and their function within the linguistic
communication system, all this in order to properly transmit the information,
recognizing the language as a cultural expression system, through the association of
sounds belonging to different English-speaking groups.

Specific purposes

- To support students in the precise identification of the vocal tract physiology

responsible for the production of the foreign language sounds through practical
tasks.

- To develop in students the preliminary skills in the identification of the phonetic and
phonological qualities of the foreign language, through practical listening and writing
exercises.

Course Competences:

- The student understands, expresses and interprets thoughts orally as written, in

situations that require the use of the foreign language to facilitate and ensure
assertive interaction and communication.

- The student uses the skills acquired within the course to improve their own
pronunciation, in order to communicate in real life situations.

- The student recognizes the language as a cultural manifestation associated with

the practices of different human groups, as well as their differentiating factors such
as the articulation of sounds, accent, intonation and rhythm, and the student
integrates this knowledge to his/her training in foreign languages.

3. COURSE CONTENTS

Units/topics Required Bibliographic References

1. Articulatory Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter one: Phonetics and Phonology
English sound definition and distinction. In Introductory Phonetics and
system Phonology of English. (pp. 1-3). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK:
Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Retrieved from
http://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?
url=https://search-ebscohost-
 com.bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_1

Organs of speech
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Two: The Mechanism of Speech
Sounds. In Introductory Phonetics and Phonology of English.
(pp. 5-12). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars
Publishing. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_5

Consonants
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Three: Articulation of English
Sounds. In Introductory Phonetics and Phonology of
English. (pp. 15-20). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge
Scholars Publishing. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_15

Vowels
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Three: Articulation of English
Sounds. In Introductory Phonetics and Phonology of
English. (pp. 21-26). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge
Scholars Publishing. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_15

Examples of consonant and vowels symbols in words

Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Four: Examples of Consonants and
Vowels of English in Words. In Introductory Phonetics and
Phonology of English.  (pp. 29-44). Newcastle upon Tyne,
 UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_29

VIO Unit 1 – Consonant sounds

The following VIO shows all the articulatory features involved in
the consonant sounds production. It is focused on the vocal
cavity, the place and the manner of articulation.

Murcia, Y. V. (2019). Consonant sounds. Retrieved from

https://repository.unad.edu.co/handle/10596/28288

2. Prosodic and The suprasegmentals

suprasegmental
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Five: The Suprasegmentals.
features
In Introductory Phonetics and Phonology of English. (pp.
45-46). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars
Publishing. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_45

Word stress
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Six: The English Stress.
In Introductory Phonetics and Phonology of English. (pp.
51-63).   Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars
Publishing. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_51

Rhythm
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Seven: Rhythm. In Introductory
Phonetics and Phonology of English. (pp. 65-67).  
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
 Retrieved from http://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?
url=https://search-ebscohost-
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direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_65

Intonation speech
Daniel, I. O. (2011). Chapter Eight: Intonation. in Introductory
Phonetics and Phonology of English. (pp. 69-76). Newcastle
upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Retrieved
from http://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?
url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=523847&lang=es&site=ehost-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_69

VIO Unit 2 – Rhythm Intonation Stress

The following video is about rhythm, stress, tone, intonation,
pitch, pause, etc., which help English learners sound more natural
when speaking.

Mad English TV [Mad English TV]. (2017, August 23). English

Pronunciation | Rhythm Intonation Stress | Improve English
Accent [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/FhKgxZmJpV8

Additional bibliographic references for the course:

Unit 1:

The following reference corresponds to a paper that presents an acoustic study of

word-final V+/r/ sequences in American English, in particular the schwa-like element
that is often perceived in these sequences.

Freitas, M. J., Frota, S., & Vigário, M. C. (2009). Part I: Between phonetics and
phonology. In Phonetics and Phonology: Interactions and Interrelations. (pp.
13-106). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co. Retrieved from
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url=https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co:2969/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=e000xww&AN=284038&lang=es&site=ehost-
 live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_13

Unit 2:

The following books refer to the field of linguistics which includes methods of
analyzing language in order to illuminate many different aspects of it: how we
acquire it, how and why we pronounce it, and so on.

Forel, C., & Puskás, G. (2005, March). PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY Reader for
First Year English Linguistics [PDF]. (pp. 20-27) Geneva: University of Geneva.
Retrieved from
https://ia801801.us.archive.org/35/items/Phonology/Phonology.pdf

McCabe, A. (2011). An Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies. London:

Equinox Publishing Ltd. Retrieved from
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direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=547849&lang=es&site=eds-
live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_iii

4. LEARNING STRATEGY

Description of the learning strategy:

The course uses task-based language teaching (TBLT), also known as task-based
instruction (TBI), focusing on the use of authentic language and asking the
performance of meaningful tasks using the foreign language. The evaluation is based
mainly on the result of the task rather than the accuracy of the language. This
makes TBLT especially popular for developing foreign language fluency and student
confidence. TBLT is a methodology that belongs to the communicative approach
(CLT).
The tasks are organized by learning stages
Pre-homework
Task Cycle
Post Task
Allowing students to develop their skills through practical activities.
5. DISTRIBUTION OF ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES FOR THE COURSE
Week Contents to develop
1 and 2 Articulatory English
sound system
3 Articulatory English
sound system
4 Articulatory English
sound system
5 Articulatory English
Activity to develop according to the
learning strategy
Step 1: Go to the Knowledge Environment and
read chapter one named the Phonetics and
Phonology definition and distinction
Step 2: Design an infographic using the
information of the Step 1, the infographic must
contain the aspects related to the Activity
Guide and Rubric.
Step 3: Go to the knowledge environment
again and read the chapter two: The
mechanism of speech sounds.
Step 4: Include a picture of the speech organs
in the oral cavity responsible of the sound
production.
Step 5: Name three sounds explained in the
chapter three: The mechanism of speech
sounds. and describe the articulators involved
in their sound production; also, you can watch
the OVI Consonant sounds related to the
Knowledge environment, unit 1, in order to
understand the Vocal tract system.
Step 6: Give meaningful feedback to your
classmates´ contributions.
Step 1: Go to the knowledge environment and
reed the chapter 3 the Articulation of English
Sounds and get familiar with the IPA alphabet
watching the video added in the Activity Guide
and Rubric.
Step 2: Record yourself pronouncing the
consonant symbols in isolation and within a
word; It is important that you consider the
articulators involved in the production of the
sound of each symbol, as well as its place and
manner of articulation, check the specifications
of the video in the Activity Guide and Rubric.
Step 3: Go to the collaborative environment
 sound system and open the document named English
Phonetics_Task2_ Practical Exercises and
develop the exercises individually.
6 Articulatory English Step 1: Go to the knowledge environment and
sound system read the chapter 3 the Articulation of English
Sounds and focus on the information related to
vowel and diphthong sounds
7 Articulatory English Step 2: Record yourself pronouncing the vowel
sound system and diphthong symbols in isolation and within
a word; you must take into account the
variations in the positions of the tongue to
produce each of the symbols. To learn more
about the symbols, you can watch the video
and the specifications shared in the Activity
Guide and Rubric.
8 Articulatory English Step 3: Choose 4 of the 8 diphthongs that
sound system exist in English and create a diagram for the
initial and final movements of the 4
diphthongs, include words containing the
diphthongs chosen.
Step 4: Go to the collaborative environment
open the document Named English
phonetics_Task3_transcription and develop the
transcription exercises.
9 Quiz unit 1 Step 1: Go to the Evaluation and monitoring
environment and develop the Quiz unit 1
Articulatory English sound system
10 Prosodic and Step 1: Go to the Knowledge environment,
suprasegmental unit 2 and read all related to The
features suprasegmentals and focus on Rhythm,
intonation and stress.
Step 2: Go to the Practice Environment and
open the folder Educational Resources and
download the document named
Phonetics_Task 5_Pronunciation Practice.
11 Prosodic and Step 3: Record yourself developing and
suprasegmental pronouncing all the exercises of the document,
features including the tongue twisters, the intonation,
rhythm and stress exercises; check the
recommendations for the video in the Activity
 Guide and Rubric.
12 Prosodic and Step 4: Go to the practical environment open
suprasegmental the Educational Resources folder and download
features the document named English Phonetics_Task
5_written exercises and collaboratively develop
the practical exercises.
13 Prosodic and Step 5: Review the contributions of your
suprasegmental classmates and choose the best answers to the
features exercises and compile a single document
throughout the group with the solved
exercises.
Step 6: Write a reflection stablishing a
comparative relation between English and
Spanish sounds, check the requirements in the
Activity Guide and Rubric,
Step 7: Submit your reflection to Turnitin tool,
in order to check the reliability of your text.
14 Quiz unit 2 Step 1: Go to the Evaluation and monitoring
environment and develop the Quiz unit 2
Prosodic and suprasegmental features
15 and 16 Unit 1 and 2 Step 1: Create a tutorial video showing
yourself explaining the characteristics of the
phonetic symbols of the consonant sounds
seen in unit 1, the video should have the
aspects related to the Activity Guide and
Rubric.
Step 2: Record a second video showing
yourself pronouncing the text related to the
guide, having in mind the suprasegmental
features such as intonation, rhythm and
stress, check the recommendations for the
video shared in the Activity Guide and Rubric.
Step 3: Give meaningful feedback to your
classmates` contributions.
 6. STRATEGIES OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Description of academic support strategies to apply in this course

The teaching support strategies of the course English Phonetics are mainly based on
the follow-up to the activities established from the individual activities and what has
been done in the collaborative groups in the forms of synchronic and asynchronous
accompaniment. Likewise, the activities will be reinforced with educational resources
such as OVIs. Within the synchronic we find the web conferences, as well as the
sessions via skype or chat and as for the asynchronous what corresponds to the
internal messaging, the forums in the collaborative environment created for each
task, as well as the general forum of the course and email if necessary.

7. COURSE EVALUATION PLAN

Products to submit Highest Weighting

Week Evaluation
according to the Learning Score / / 500
number Moment
Strategy 500 points points
PDF document with 25
*Infographic
1-2 Initial 25
*Speech organs pictures
*Three sounds description
PDF document with
Intermediate
3-5 *Practical exercises 60
Unit 1
*Link of the video
PDF document with
Intermediate *Link of the video
6-8 80
Unit 1 *Diagram of the diphthongs
*Transcription exercises
Intermediate 350
9 *Quiz unit 1 70
Unit 1
PDF document with
Intermediate *Link of the video
10-13 70
Unit 2 *Written exercises
*Reflection
Intermediate
14 Quiz unit 2 70
Unit 2
15-16 Final PDF document with 125 125
*The links of the videos
*Feedback
Total Score 500 Points 500 Points