Phonetics

This is an enjoyable little volume in the Oxford Introductions to Language Studies series. Roach begins with an overview and then directs our attention to the production of speech sounds and the creation of vowels, consonants, and tones. He also covers suprasegmentals, acoustics, and the use of sounds to compliment one another in the creation of meaning. My only complaint with this book is its emphasis on the BBC accent. This alienates those who are unfamiliar with this accent or those from other areas who are concerned rather with their own accent. This critique could be broadened to include most of this Oxford series so this criticism is not particular to Roach.