A Course in English Phonetics for EFL University Students

This course is meant to help English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students familiarise themselves with the basics of English phonetics. It covers the English phonetics syllabus, which is generally taught in the 1st semester of an English philology programme at the university level. It provides information on the sound system of English and deals specifically with some specific problems faced by Lithuanian as well as by international EFL learners. This course focuses on segmental phonetics and beyond: the structure and linguistic function of the articulatory apparatus, the characteristics and classification of vowels and consonants, the International Phonetic Alphabet and its use in phonetic transcription. It also briefly expands on the syllable and word stress. It basically serves as a background for further readings on suprasegmental phonetics and aspects of connected speech.