Module manager: Elliot Holmes
Email: e.j.holmes@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
| LING2330 | Phonetics |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Sociophonetics is the study of the way in which social factors influence speech patterns. The way we speak in our everyday lives is influenced by a wide range of social factors. Speakers of the same language from different geographical areas may pronounce words differently, and within the same area, speakers from different age and gender groups and social backgrounds may sound different. This module introduces students to the main social variables that condition pronunciation variation in English and other languages. We discuss a range of sociophonetic studies that provide detailed evidence of how our personal identity, group membership and social context influences the way we speak. Students are introduced to methodologies used in current research on sociophonetic variation and have a chance to conduct their own sociophonetic investigation. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The aim of this module is to equip students with a theoretical understanding of sociophonetic variation and practical skills required to design, conduct, and critically evaluate empirical sociophonetic research. This is achieved by exploring how speech varies across social groups and contexts in the lectures, and how variation can be systematically analysed using established methodological and acoustic techniques in the seminars. For this, we will use articulatory phonetic methods relating to the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and acoustic phonetic methods relating to Praat.
More specifically, students apply this understanding through training in auditory transcription, acoustic analysis, and data interpretation, engaging directly with authentic speech data and contemporary research questions in the seminars and in their fieldwork project. In combining conceptual knowledge with methodological practice, the module supports students in connecting linguistic theory to empirical evidence and developing skills in criticality and analysis.
The module is structured around lectures and seminars that progressively scaffold learning and introduce increasingly complex analytical tasks In their independent sociophonetic project, students design and carry out their own study, synthesising theoretical insight, technical skills, and critical evaluation in an original piece of research.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Analyse patterns of sociophonetic variation by examining how social variables condition the use of phonetic variants.
2. Critically evaluate articulatory and acoustic phonetic methodologies employed in sociophonetic research.
3. Produce auditory and acoustic analyses of speech collected from independent fieldwork using the IPA alongside waveforms and spectrograms.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
4. Develop an evidence-based and well-structured argument, complying with the standards of academic integrity.
5. Communicate effectively complex ideas and evidence to an in an academic audience.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Sociophonetics is the study of the way in which social factors influence speech patterns. The way we speak in our everyday lives is influenced by a wide range of social factors. Speakers of the same language from different geographical areas may pronounce words differently, and within the same area, speakers from different age and gender groups and social backgrounds may sound different. This module introduces students to the main social variables that condition pronunciation variation in English and other languages. We discuss a range of sociophonetic studies that provide detailed evidence of how our personal identity, group membership and social context influences the way we speak. Students are introduced to methodologies used in current research on sociophonetic variation and have a chance to conduct their own sociophonetic investigation.
Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Fieldwork project | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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