This module will present a critical examination of a number of theoretical issues in phonetic research, with focus on exploring how human speech can...

This module will present a critical examination of a number of theoretical issues in phonetic research, with focus on exploring how human speech can effectively transmit multiple layers of communicative meanings through an articulation process. It will cover issues relating to coarticulation, distinctive features, timing and coordination, speech acquisition and social and emotional interactions, and demonstrate how they are mechanistically interrelated based on an articulatory-functional view of speech. An emphasis will be put on the latest findings about tone and intonation, and how they are related to the segmental aspect of speech. Also will be discussed is research methodology in terms of its importance for the theoretical development in phonetic science. There will be both lectures and laboratory sessions.
The main module objectives are:
• To provide students with knowledge about the state of the art in phonetics research.
• To help students develop an understanding of the relationship between sound and message in human speech in terms of the underlying mechanisms of production, perception, acquisition and social interactions.
• To introduce students with various models and theories of tone, intonation, the syllable and coarticulation.

This module is an intermediate module on the study of meaning in natural language. It introduces logical concepts and their application in semantics and...

This module is an intermediate module on the study of meaning in natural language. It introduces logical concepts and their application in semantics and pragmatics, especially focusing on compositionality and quantification.

Compositionality and quantification are core concepts in formal semantics. The module introduces these two ideas by contrasting Predicate Logic and English (and other natural languages).

Outline:

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