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Unit outline_

CSCD1034: Linguistics and Phonetics

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Students will explore the nature of language: introduction to phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and orthographic systems, , with a clinical focus. Particular emphasis on grammar, phonetics and articulation assessment and intervention. Analysis of language for clinical purposes (especially grammar transcription and phonetic transcription skills). This unit of study prepares students with the necessary background knowledge to undertake phonology, language and clinical units later in the course.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Communication Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Gregory Flannery, gregory.flannery@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Record+) Type B final exam Online Final Exam
MCQ
50% Formal exam period 1 hour
Skills-based evaluation hurdle task Accelerate Communication Excellence (ACE)
video analysis and short answer questions
0% Week 05 one hour
Outcomes assessed: LO8 LO9 LO10
Skills-based evaluation hurdle task Grammar analysis
child/adult Three tiered analysis of two sentences
25% Week 08 30 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO7
Skills-based evaluation hurdle task Phonemic transcription
child/adult Transcription of short spoken passage
25% Week 11 20 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO11
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
Type B final exam = Type B final exam ?

Assessment summary

  • Accelerated Communication Excellence (ACE): The Accelerated Communication Excellence Program is an on-line module designed to accelerate the development of your professional communication skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking and reasoning. For each of these professional areas you will learn how to accelerate your skills, followed by the opportunity to self -assess your skills and confidence. Accelerated Communication Excellence aims to better prepare you for your first clinic placement by helping you bridge the gap from your classroom studies to working with clients in real life settings.
  • Grammar transcription: Students need to be competent in their analysis of grammar before beginning any clinical or fieldwork studies. 
  • Phonemic transcription: Students will be required to transcribe an adult Australian English speaker talking in connected speech. The passage will be broken up into smaller utterances and each utterance will be repeated.
  • Final exam: This exam will cover all the learning objectives. All content from weeks 1 - 12, including textbook readings allocated, are assessable. Exam is worth 50 marks. Sample exam questions
    and answers will be supplied in class in the final week. The exam will have multiple choice and case-based exam questions which will ask students to apply the knowledge they have acquired during the semester to real life scenarios.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 1. Introduction to unit; 2. What is language?; 3. Phonetics and phonology; 4. Speech pathology Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 02 1. Morphology and grammar intro; 2. Describing the consonants of English Lecture (3 hr)  
Places of articulation Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 03 1. Grammar; 2. Clause level; 3. Vowels and diphthongs, schwas and linking /r/s Lecture (3 hr)  
Transcription practice consonants Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 04 1. Phrase level; 2. Transcription theory Lecture (3 hr)  
Transcription of consonants and vowels Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 05 1. Phrase level; 2. Connected speech Lecture (3 hr)  
Some transcription anomalies Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 06 1. Word level; 2. Phonological rules Lecture (3 hr)  
Transcribing connected speech Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 07 1. Complex clauses; 2. Suprasegmentals Lecture (3 hr)  
What we don’t transcribe Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 08 1. Grammar task; 2. Phonotactics Lecture (3 hr)  
1, Using the rules to help with transcription; 2. Transcribing from recordings Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 09 1. Semantics and pragmatics; 2. Australian English Lecture (3 hr)  
Peculiarities of Australian English pronunciation Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 10 1. language acquisition; 2.Psycholinguistics; 3. Writing systems; 4. Practice exam and preparation Lecture (3 hr)  
Practice transcription test Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 11 1. Sociolinguistics; 2. Language change; 3. Transcription task Lecture (3 hr)  
Review of transcription task Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 12 Acoustic phonetics Lecture (3 hr)  
Transcribing disordered speech - diacritics Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 13 Unit revision Lecture (2 hr)  
Transcription – what’s expected in clinic Lecture (1 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

Classes will be conducted online and will be recorded. Attendance is not compulsory but highly recommended.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available in the Canvas site for this unit. Electronic copies of the Grammar and Phonetics Handbook will be provided for downloading via the Canvas Site.

  • Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., Hyams, N., Collins, P., Amberbe, M. & Cox, F. (2015). An Introduction to Language (Australia and New Zealand 8th or 9th edition) Cengage, Victoria.
  • Grammar Handbook
  • Phonetics 1 Handbook

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. identify and differentiate component levels of oral and written language such as form (phonology/orthography), meaning (semantics), and structure (morphology/syntax)
  • LO2. describe and compare key theories and models of key linguistic processes such as spoken word recognition and semantic representation
  • LO3. explain the reasons why there is more to communication than simply describing component parts (e.g. pragmatics)
  • LO4. identify health and education professionals that work with spoken and written language and its component parts
  • LO5. interpret and apply scientific information on linguistics that is necessary for speech pathology (e.g. regarding bilingualism)
  • LO6. become familiar with scientific research. Conduct keyword or author searches for scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals relevant to linguistic and phonetics
  • LO7. demonstrate competence in analysis of syntax/grammar
  • LO8. develop an understanding of professional communication and how it will impact on your role as a health professional
  • LO9. demonstrate skills in understanding and using professional oral English
  • LO10. demonstrate skills in listening to and correctly recording in writing information using professional written English
  • LO11. demonstrate competence in broad (phonemic) transcription of adult and child Australian English (as assessed by a barrier task). Use appropriate diacritics for clinical evaluation
  • LO12. describe, apply, interpret and integrate scientific information on phonetics and phonology to speech pathology contexts
  • LO13. explain the importance of reliability measures and be able to evaluate your own phonemic transcription reliability
  • LO14. map vowels and diphthongs onto an acoustic-articulatory map from knowledge of the values of the first two formants. Interpret this information when provided with a complete map
  • LO15. choose an appropriate sampling rate when digitally recording speech signals for analysis in clinical and research settings
  • LO16. identify individual phonemes in a spectrograph of connected speech and relate the findings of spectrographic analysis to articulatory function using the Source-Filter model of speech production
  • LO17. compare the vowels of various dialects of English (including Australian English, including ethnic and Aboriginal varieties) by using an acoustic-articulatory map and interpreting the map in acoustic and articulatory terms
  • LO18. explain simultaneous and sequential bilingualism as it relates to the development of speech production, spoken and written language.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9
LO1         
LO2         
LO3         
LO4         
LO5         
LO6         
LO7         
LO8         
LO9         
LO10         
LO11         
LO12         
LO13         
LO14         
LO15         
LO16         
LO17         
LO18         
Competency-based Occupational Standards for Speech Pathologists -
Competency code Taught, Practiced or Assessed Competency standard
1.1 A Investigate and document the client’s communication and/or swallowing condition and explore the primary concerns of the client.
1.3 A Administer speech pathology assessment relevant to the communication and/or swallowing condition.
2.1 A Analyse and interpret speech pathology assessment data.
3.1 A Use integrated and interpreted information (outlined in Unit 2) relevant to the communication and/or swallowing condition, and/or the service provider’s policies and priorities to plan evidence-based speech pathology practice.
3.2 A Seek additional information required to plan evidence-based speech pathology practice.
3.3 A Discuss long-term outcomes and collaborate with the client and/or significant others to decide whether or not speech pathology strategies are suitable and/or required.
3.4 A Establish goals for intervention in collaboration with the client and significant others.
3.5 A Select an evidence-based speech pathology approach or intervention in collaboration with the client and significant others.
3.6 A Define roles and responsibilities for the management of the client’s swallowing and/ or communication condition.
3.7 A Document speech pathology intervention plans, goals and outcome measurement.
4.5 A Identify the scope and nature of speech pathology practice in a range of community and work place contexts.
5.1 A Respond to service provider’s policies.
5.5 A Consult and coordinate with professional groups and services.
5.6 A Adhere to professionally accepted scientific principles in work practices.
5.7 A Collaborate in research initiated and/or supported by others.
6.1 A Develop, contribute to, and maintain professional and team based relationships in practice contexts.
6.3 A Demonstrate an understanding of the principles and practices of clinical education.
7.1 A Uphold the Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics and work within all the relevant legislation and legal constraints, including medico-legal responsibilities.
7.3 A Demonstrate an awareness of formal and informal networks for professional development and support.

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Disclaimer

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