A Course in Phonetics

Peter Ladefoged's Course in Phonetics covers the so-called science of speech (according to Professor Higgins)in every respect. Unlike many other texts on the field, this is no only meant to describe the phonological system of a language in particular or give you some background on general phonetics. This book really teaches you to become a phonetician! This is not just because of Ladefoged's imcomparable background in phonetics and physics (what a great scientist!), but also because Ladeofged himself acts like a motivator as he passes his own passion to the readers. The interactive CD is awesome. You will be able to listen to the XX century's leading English phonetician Daniel Jones making his own cardinal vowels. There is also an invaluable x-ray short movie of different articulations, and believe me! It is really illuminating to have the chance to see that rather than beautifully designed drawings. Ladefoged himself will teach you by dictating and pronouncing a great number of words, nonsense, English and other languages. I really recommend this book to whoever is interested or passionate about this discipline. Even though Prof. Ladefoged is not here with us anymore, this is an excellent - and for many of us the only one - chance to be taught by one of the greatest.

As it has been already noted, Ladefoged's work is excellent in every respect! However, a prospective buyer of this book should bear in mind that, although it's NOT so modestly priced, the printing and binding quality for this edition (4th edition, 2001, Heinle & Heinle) is very low. The covers and the paper are so thin, it's almost imposible to read from the book while holding it with one hand only. It feels almost like a vacuum cleaner manual, which is really a shame. This kind of book obviously deserves a better publisher.

As a linguistics student at UCSB, I must say that this has been one of the better textbooks that I've had. It is incredibly clear in explaining all the concepts and terminology of phonetics. Additionally, as someone who usually hates textbook material, the fact that this is concise, easy to read AND follow makes a better course for the phonetics class that you are taking.

A really excellent book that gives the maximum information in the minimum space and is packed with relevant examples. We have used it extensively with a range of people who have been working in speech synthesis and speech analysis, all have found it, not only useful, but really interesting. A genuine five star book.

This book is pedagogically one of the best texts I've read on any subject. It is an excellent, clear overview of the field, together with many interesting tidbits and insights into our own (English)language. The explanations of how to make unfamiliar sounds is clear enough that I could understand even without a recording. The author supports his viewpoints with acoustic research without getting bogged down. Highly recommended.