Phonetics Tutorial

Author: Lin Tao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: It has been nearly ten years since I first considered writing this on phonetics. At that time, I was teaching the course "Phonetics" to undergraduate students of the Chinese Language Department at Peking University. Due to the rapid development of phonetics over the past two or three decades, I felt a strong need for a new textbook suitable for Chinese language majors that reflected the latest advancements in the field. This sparked the idea of compiling one. Soon after, the course was taken over by Comrade Wang Lijia, and we decided to collaborate on this textbook based on our teaching experiences over the years. I first drafted a outline, and Comrade Wang Lijia quickly wrote the preface and the first five chapters based on this outline, which I then reviewed and supplemented. During the revision process, it gradually became clear that if the content was too limited to Chinese language majors, it would severely restrict the scope. Currently, the role of phonetics has extended to all disciplines related to human language, each of which requires some knowledge of phonetics, either directly or indirectly. If the content were made broader, it might better suit readers from various fields. Based on this understanding, I made significant revisions and additions to the first five chapters, with some chapters essentially being rewritten from scratch. Then, I wrote chapters six and seven, while Comrade Wang Lijia wrote the final chapter, "Phonemes and Distinctive Features." After completion, I proofread and finalized the manuscript. The shortcomings and errors in the book are primarily my responsibility. In the spring of 1986, while the textbook was taking shape, I suddenly fell ill with a nearly fatal disease and underwent major surgery. I had to rest for over a year before gradually resuming work in the autumn of 1987, leaving behind a backlog of tasks and no time for this textbook. It wasn’t until 1989 that I picked it up again, revising and writing intermittently, and only recently completed it.
This textbook is an introduction to the fundamentals of phonetics, starting with traditional phonetics while incorporating some recent research findings in modern phonetics from both China and abroad. During the writing process, we paid close attention to the accessibility for general readers, avoiding overly specialized terminology as much as possible. Each chapter is generally divided into three parts: first, introducing basic concepts from the perspective of traditional phonetics, then focusing on the phonetics of Mandarin Chinese, and finally presenting some fundamental knowledge and research findings in experimental phonetics. Therefore, this book can also be considered as consisting of three parts: traditional phonetics, Mandarin Chinese phonetics, and experimental phonetics, each of which is largely self-contained. Readers can read the entire book or focus on the sections that interest them. The final chapter, "Phonemes and Distinctive Features," is introductory in nature, as research in this area, both theoretically and practically, remains contentious and unresolved. A detailed explanation is beyond the scope of this phonetics textbook. Each chapter includes a substantial number of exercises. Although modern phonetics heavily relies on instruments, oral and aural training remains fundamental. Some exercises are designed for this purpose and are best conducted under the guidance of experienced instructors. If that’s not possible, mutual assistance and correction among peers can be an alternative, though the effectiveness may be lower. In recent years, numerous reports on Chinese dialects and minority languages in China have been published, providing invaluable materials that greatly enriched the content of this book. The authors of these reports deserve sincere gratitude.
When selecting phonetic examples, priority is given to Beijing dialect. If an example is not found in Beijing dialect, it is selected from major dialects such as Suzhou, Guangzhou, Xiamen, and Fuzhou. If not found in major dialects, smaller dialects are considered. If not found in Chinese, examples are drawn from minority languages in China or English. Other languages are used only when absolutely necessary. Most examples are indirectly quoted materials, making it impossible to verify each one directly. Some illustrations in chapters one and two are also adapted from phonetics textbooks published domestically and abroad, but most have been modified to suit this book’s needs. Due to space constraints, it is not feasible to cite the sources of all quoted linguistic materials and illustrations.