The course introduces and compares (i) the phonetic properties of (a) sound segments, including consonant, vowel, and diphthong, and (b) suprasegmentals, including stress and tone, and (ii) the phonological structures and patterns of the sound systems of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Students are also taught (i) transcription of the sounds of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and (ii) the correspondence between the IPA symbols and the Romanized or pinyin letters in representing the sounds of the three languages. Students participate in the learning activities, including (a) oral and listening practice of the sounds in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, (b) IPA transcription of the sounds of the three languages, (c) identification of the similarities and differences between the sounds and sound systems of the three languages, and (d) comparison of the consonant-rhyme matrices and syllable types of the three languages.

The course offers the students a comprehensive phonetic and phonological knowledge of the sounds and sound systems of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Equipped with the analytical skills acquired in the course, students will be able to carry out phonetic and phonological analysis of the sounds and sound systems of other Chinese dialects and foreign languages.