This accessible textbook provides a clear introduction to the sounds of Spanish, designed specifically for English-speaking students of the language. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, it explains from scratch the fundamentals of phonetics (the study of sounds) and phonology (the study of sound systems) and describes in detail the phonetic and phonological characteristics of Spanish as it is spoken in both Spain and Latin America. Topics covered include consonants, vowels, acoustics, stress, syllables, intonation, and aspects of variation within Spanish. Clear comparisons are made between the sounds of Spanish and those of English, and students are encouraged to put theory into practice with over fifty graded exercises. Setting a solid foundation in the description and analysis of Spanish sounds, The Sounds of Spanish will help students improve their pronunciation of the language, and will also be useful to those studying the linguistic structure of Spanish for the first time.

Written in Spanish, this introduction to Spanish linguistics covers the structure, history and dialects of the Spanish language. It is designed primarily as a textbook for students pursuing advanced studies in Spanish language and literature at North American institutions, either at the advanced undergraduate or at the beginning graduate level. Nevertheless, this book will also be useful to students in other instructional settings. Clear and accessible with exercises accompanying each chapter, the text will provide students with a solid foundation for pursuing further study in Spanish or general linguistics.

Product Description: In part due to its exotic place within the languages of Europe, but mainly because of its basic typological differences with better-described languages, Basque has often attracted the interest of linguists of very different theoretical persuasions...read more