Reference Resources for Phonology
Phonology deals with sound structure in language. While phonetics studies the physical properties of sounds, phonology concerns their mental representations. Phonology originated with the insight that much observable phonetic detail is irrelevant or predictable in language. This led to positing phonemes as minimal contrastive units, each comprising a collection of distinctive features. Later work went beyond this focus on surface contrast and re-conceived phonology as an aspect of speakers' mental grammars. (From the entry for Phonology by Mary Paster in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed.)
Below are some key (online) reference works for phonology.
The Blackwell Companion to Phonology by
Publication Date: 2011The Blackwell Companion to Phonology is a five-volume major reference work drawing together 124 contributions from leading international scholars in the field. It will be indispensable to students and researchers in the field for years to come.
The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology by Publication Date: 2007Phonology - the study of how the sounds of speech are represented in our minds - is one of the core areas of linguistic theory, and is central to the study of human language. This handbook brings together the world's leading experts in phonology to present the most comprehensive and detailed overview of the field.
The Oxford Handbook of Laboratory Phonology by Publication Date: 2012This book provides state-of-the-art coverage of research in laboratory phonology, an interdisciplinary research perspective which brings a wide range of experimental and analytic tools to bear on the central questions of how knowledge of spoken language is structured, learned, and used.
The Oxford Handbook of Historical Phonology by Publication Date: 2016This book presents a comprehensive and critical overview of historical phonology as it stands today. Scholars from around the world consider and advance research in every aspect of the field. In doing so they demonstrate the continuing vitality of one of the oldest sub-disciplines of linguistics.
The Oxford Handbook of Corpus Phonology by Publication Date: 2014This handbook presents the first systematic account of corpus phonology - the employment of corpora for studying speakers' and listeners' acquisition and knowledge of the sound system of their native languages and the principles underlying those systems.
A Dictionary of Phonetics and Phonology by Publication Date: 1995This dictionary provides a comprehensive yet concise guide to over 2,000 terms in phonetics and phonology. Its usefulness as a reference tool is further enhanced by the inclusion of pronunciations, notational devices and symbols, earliest sources of terms, suggestions for further reading, and advice with regard to usage.
New Books on Phonology at UBC Library
Library Subject Headings
UBC Library, like most academic libraries, uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. Books on Phonology can be found in the UBC Library catalogue under these Subject Headings:
- Grammar, Comparative and general -- Phonology
- Autosegmental theory (Linguistics)
- Distinctive features (Linguistics)
- Lexical phonology
- Markedness (Linguistics)
- Metrical phonology
- Phonemics
- Prosodic analysis (Linguistics)
- Sound symbolism
For books on the phonology of a specific language, use this format (replace 'French' with whichever language you are interested in):
Phonology: Key Journals
