Lectures of the first semester revolved virtually entirely round one broad topic: segmental phonetics. Some topics within the general framework of segmental phonology were touched on, however.

The entirety of the lectures of this second semester will take you through an array of issues, some of them controversial, within the general framework of suprasegmental phonetics and phonology. The first lecture will look at the syllable, its definition and its three types. The second one will look at a notion which is both truly intriguing and infinitely baffling to most English learners irrespective of their maternal language: English stress. We will a priori look at the various defining hallmarks of stress. That is, what is it that renders a given syllable stressed? Afterwards, discussions will shift into the very core of this notion: the accentual pattern of English words. We will consider stress placement in simple words, in complex words and ultimately compound words.

Another hugely important feature of English connected speech inextricably linked to English stress will be dwelt upon thereafter: weak and strong forms. The following lecture will look at yet other aspects of English connected speech. I will start by looking at the various types of elision. Then I will move on onto assimilation. I will consider this process from a number of perspectives, each perspective serving the indispensable role of deepening your understanding of such a process. This rubric will mark the end of the last unit and of the handbook as a whole.