ENG1103 – English Phonetics and Intonation
Course description
Course content
The course provides an introduction to English phonetics and intonation as well as insight into the description and comparison of varieties of English.?We focus mainly on General British and General American, but also look at other accents of English from Britain and North America and around the world. Comparison between Norwegian and English is also an important aspect of the course. The course includes components both of knowledge and of practical skills.
Learning outcome
After completing this course you will:
- possess knowledge and awareness of English phonetics,
- know how to apply technical terms to describe and analyse English pronunciation,
- be able to read and produce phonemic transcriptions of General British and General American
- be familiar with basic English intonation patterns and how they carry meaning,
- know about different accents of English and the main ways in which they differ
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Lectures are open to the public. Seminar teaching requires admission to the course.
Recommended previous knowledge
The course assumes a good proficiency in written and oral English.
Overlapping courses
- 5 credits overlap with ENG1101 – English Phonetics and Intonation, An Introduction (discontinued).
Teaching
Lectures, 1 hour weekly for 12 weeks, and groups, 2 hours weekly for 10 weeks. 32 hours in all.
Students must participate actively through preparation for group activities in general and through application of the analytical tools to language data. The group sessions include ear-training through phonemic dictations.
In a 10-credit course you are expected to spend at least 12 hours a week studying for the course. One of those hours is spent attending lectures, two hours are spent in seminars, and nine hours are free for your own studies. These hours should be spent reading, making notes, and completing exercises for the seminars. You may also want to spend some of this time working on your writing skills and discussing the course material with other students.
Obligatory activities:
In order to be allowed to sit the examination, all students must receive a pass mark on (a) theoretical questions regarding the classification of vowels and consonants, (b) a test in phonemic dictation, and (c) a written paper. Read more about guidelines for compulsory activities. Read more about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements.
It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you must attend a minimum of 6 out of 10 seminars. The requirement is absolute. Attendance at 10 out of 10 seminars is strongly encouraged. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to catch up the work you have missed.?
The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.
In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accommodations.
All obligatory activities must be approved?in the same semester for you to sit the exam.?Once the course requirements have been fulfilled, they remain valid for the current and the next two semesters that the course is taught.
Examination
The obligatory requirements must be fulfilled in order to qualify for the exam.
The form of assessment is a 4-hour written examination.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.