Clinical Phonetics

Now Published by Plural!

The sixth edition of the classic textbook, Clinical Phonetics, continues to serve as both a practical guide and a thought-provoking reflection on the evolving landscape of phonetics in speech-language pathology. It provides articulatory descriptions and transcription guidance for the basics of American English phonetics, while also showcasing the diversity of phonetic forms that students will encounter across speakers with varied linguistic and clinical characteristics. This edition takes a more integrative approach than previous ones, highlighting how language backgrounds, community contexts, and clinical decision-making intersect throughout the chapters.

One of the most significant updates in this edition is a new opening discussion on how linguistic characteristics vary among speakers and why these differences matter in clinical practice—a topic students consistently find engaging and relevant. These concepts are revisited across multiple chapters to support integrated learning and to emphasize key considerations for applying phonetics in clinical settings. The updates to the text are designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to become effective, responsive clinicians who can confidently and accurately transcribe speech in all its rich and meaningful variation.

New to the Sixth Edition

• New and expanded audio materials using voices that reflect a range of ages, genders, and racial and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that the speech samples used for transcription practice better represent the populations students are likely to encounter in clinical work.
• Transcription conventions aligned with the International Phonetic Alphabet, including modifications to some core symbols (for instance, /ɹ/ instead of /r/), diacritics, and conventions for marking stress.
• Chapter 5 on consonant transcription is reorganized by manner rather than place of articulation in order to help students better understand natural classes that underlie phonological patterns.
• To help students tackle the challenge of narrow transcription, one chapter has been divided into two: 
• Chapter 7 focuses on typical allophonic variation.
• Chapter 8 addresses clinical deviations. The clinical speech transcription exercises in this chapter are reorganized to start with changes that are easier to transcribe, like stop substitutions, and progress to more challenging deviations like vowel distortions.
• Completely new or revised illustrations throughout the text, depicting the important features of individual speech sounds. 

Key Features

• Phonetic diversity highlighted throughout the book
• Emphasis on transcription of clinically relevant variation in speech
• Hundreds of transcription exercises to build students’ perception and transcription of American English speech sounds
• Thousands of audio examples representing child and adult speakers 
• Images and videos to support students’ understanding of articulatory and acoustic phonetics

PluralPlus Online Ancillaries

For instructors:  PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank, Chapter Quizzes with Answers
For students:  Audio Examples and Exercises, Videos, Transcription Sheets, Transcription Training Keys, Chapter Quizzes with Answers, and eFlashcards

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors

Chapter 1. Introduction to Phonetics and Phonetic Variation
Phonetics and Phonetic Variation 
    The Study of Language Variation
    Sources of Phonetic Variation
    Is There a “Standard” Variety?
    Considerations of Age and Gender
    Language Variation and Clinical Practice
The Importance of Sound Files
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 2. Phonetics and Language
The Phoneme
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
Phonetics and Phonology
The Syllable
    Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
    Positional and Contextual Terminology for Phonetic Descriptions
The Morpheme
Phonological Awareness
Markedness
Quantitative Linguistics
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 3. The Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Production
The Respiratory System
The Laryngeal System
The Supralaryngeal System
    The Jaw
    The Tongue
    The Lips
    The Teeth
Variation in Vocal Tract Anatomy
Speech Motor Control
Technologies for the Study of Phonetics
    X-ray Imaging
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
    Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA)
    Ultrasound Imaging
    Electropalatography (EPG)
    Fiber-optic Endoscopy
    Aerodynamic Analysis
    Acoustic Analysis
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 4. Vowels: Monophthongs and Diphthongs
Introduction
Vowel Articulation
    Tongue Height (the High–Low Dimension of Tongue Position)
    Tongue Advancement (the Front-Back Dimension of Tongue Position)
    Tense versus Lax Vowels
    Exercise: Is the Vowel Tense or Lax?
    Lip Configuration (Rounding)
    Exercise: Is the Vowel Rounded or Unrounded?
    Vowel Description: Tongue Height, Tongue Advancement, Tenseness, and Lip Rounding
    Lateral Tongue Bracing
    Nasalization
The Front Vowels
    Vowel /i/ (He) 
        Articulatory Description: High, Front, Tense, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ɪ/ (Hid)
        Articulatory Description: High-Mid, Front, Lax, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /e/ (Say)
        Articulatory Description: Mid, Front, Tense, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ɛ/, Sometimes Called “Epsilon” (Head)
        Articulatory Description: Low-Mid, Front, Lax, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /æ/, Sometimes Called “Ash” (Had)
        Articulatory Description: Low, Front, Lax, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
The Back Vowels
    Vowel /u/ (Who)
        Articulatory Description: High, Back, Tense, and Rounded Vowel
        Special Considerations
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ʊ/, Sometimes Called “Upsilon” (Hook)
        Articulatory Description: High-Mid, Back, Lax, and Rounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /o/ (Boat)
        Articulatory Description: Mid, Back, Tense, and Rounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ɔ/, Sometimes Called “Open o” or “Backwards c” (Hall)
        Articulatory Description: Low-Mid, Back, Tense, and Rounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ɑ/, Sometimes Called “Script a” (Hot)
        Articulatory Description: Low, Back, Tense, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
The Central Vowels and Rhotic Vowels
    Vowel /ʌ/, Sometimes Called “Turned V,” “Wedge,” or “Caret” (Hub)
        Articulatory Description: Low-Mid, Back-Central, Lax, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ə/, Sometimes Called “Schwa” (first syllable in Above)
        Articulatory Description: Mid-Central, Lax, and Unrounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ɝ/), Sometimes Called “Stressed Schwar” (Her)
        Articulatory Description: Mid-Central, Tense, and Rounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
    Vowel /ɚ/, Sometimes Called “Schwar” (Mother)
        Articulatory Description: Mid-Central, Lax, and Rounded Vowel
        Transcription Words
        Transcription Words with Both Stressed /ɝ/ and Unstressed /ɚ/
Other Vowels with R-Coloring
    R-Colored Vowel /ɑɹ/ (Far)
        Articulatory Summary for /ɑɹ/
        Transcription Words
    R-Colored Vowel /ɔɹ/ (Four)
        Articulatory Summary for /ɔɹ/
        Transcription Words
    R-Colored Vowel /ɪɹ/ (Fear)
        Articulatory Summary for /ɪɹ/
        Transcription Words
    R-colored Vowel /ɛɹ/ (Fair)
        Articulatory Summary for /ɛɹ/
        Transcription Words
Cardinal Vowels
Three-Dimensional Grid of Vowel Production in American English
Diphthongs
    Phonemic and Nonphonemic Diphthongs
Phonemic Diphthongs
    Diphthong /a͡ɪ/ (Bye; Figure 4-23)
        Articulatory Summary for /a͡ɪ/
        Transcription Words
    Diphthong /ɔ͡ɪ/ (Boy; Figure 4-23)
        Articulatory Summary for /ɔ͡ɪ/
        Transcription Words
    Diphthong /a͡ʊ/ (Bough; Figure 4-23)
        Articulatory Summary for /a͡ʊ/
        Transcription Words
Nonphonemic Diphthongs
    Exercise: Identifying Diphthongs
Allographs of the Vowel Phonemes of English
Vowels Around the World
    The Many Roles of Vowels
The Acoustic Properties of Vowels
    The Vocal Tract as a Resonator
    The Spectrum and Spectrogram
    Vowel Formant Patterns
    Applications of Vowel Acoustics
    Effects of Language and Dialect on Vowel Acoustics
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 5. Consonants
Manner of Articulation
    Stops
        Stops—Articulatory Summary
    Fricatives
        Fricatives—Articulatory Summary
    Affricates/
        Affricates—Articulatory Summary
    Nasals
        Nasals—Articulatory Summary
    Liquids
        Liquids—Articulatory Summary
    Glides
        Glides—Articulatory Summary
Place of Articulation
The Voicing Feature
Consonants by Manner, Place, and Voicing
Transcribing Stop Consonants
    Bilabial Stops: /b/ and /p/
    Alveolar Stops: /t/ and /d/
    Alveolar Flap: [ɾ]
    Velar stops: /k/ and /ɡ/
    Glottal stop: [ʔ]
Transcribing Fricative and Affricative Consonants
    Labiodental Fricatives: /f/ and /v/
    Interdental (or Dental) Fricatives: /θ/ and /ð/
    Alveolar Fricatives: /s/ and /z/
    Palatal Fricatives: /ʃ/ and /ʒ/
    Glottal Fricative: /h/
    Palatal Affricates: /t͡ʃ/ and /d͡ʒ/ 
Transcribing Nasal Consonants
    Bilabial Nasal: /m/
    Alveolar Nasal: /n/
    Velar Nasal: /ŋ/
Transcribing Liquid Consonants
    Alveolar Lateral Liquid: /l/
    Palatal Rhotic Liquid: /ɹ/
Transcribing Glides
    Labiovelar Glide: /w/
    Palatal Glide: /j/
Frequency of Occurrence of Place of Consonant Articulation
Summary Classification of Consonants in American English
Consonant Acoustics
    Acoustic Features of Consonant Classes
        Stops
        Fricatives
        Affricates
        Nasals
        Liquids
        Glides
    Effects of Speaker Age and Sex on Consonant Acoustics
    Sounds in Sequence
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 6. Suprasegmentals and Prosody
The Units of Prosody
    Syllables
        Phonemes within Syllables
    The Prosodic Foot
    The Intonational Phrase
    Intonation
Stress
    Lexical Stress
    Lexical Stress Marking in the IPA
    Reduction
    Stress Beyond the Word Level
        Contrastive Stress
        New versus Given Information
Rhythm and Timing
    Rhythm
    Timing
Juncture
    Pause
    Boundary or Edge Effects
Symbols to Mark Timing, Juncture, and Intonation
    Lengthened [siː]
    Shortened [wĭ]
    Close Juncture [la͡ɪtha͡ʊs] 
    Open Juncture [ənaɪs+mæn] versus [ən+aɪsmæn] 
    Internal Open Juncture [hɛlpǀsu]
    Falling Terminal Juncture [tudeɪꜜ]
    Rising Terminal Juncture [tudeɪꜛ]
    Checked or Held Juncture [tudeɪ→]
    Selected Extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet
Paralinguistics
Registers
    Infant-Directed Speech
    Clear Speech
    Other Prosodic Variations
Dialectal Variation of Prosody
Prosody in Typical and Atypical Development of Speech and Language
Clinical Assessment of Prosody
    Crystal’s Prosody Profile (PROP)
    Shriberg, Kwiatkowski, and Rasmussen’s Prosody-Voice Screening Profile (PVSP)
    Profiling Elements of Prosodic Systems—Child Version (PEPS-C)
An Integrated View of Suprasegmentals
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 7. Narrow Transcription
Phonemes and Allophones
Uses of Narrow Transcription
Coarticulation
Diacritics Used to Represent Coarticulation
Nasal Symbols
Nasalized [mæ̃n]    
Lip Symbols
    Labialized Consonant [kʷwin]
Tongue Symbols
    Dentalized [wɪd̪θ]
    Palatalized [sʲtɹit]
    Velarized [fiɫ]
    Fronted or Advanced [k̟ɪt]
    Retracted [s̠tɹit]
Voice-Related Symbols
    Partially Voiced [æbs̬ɪnt]
    Partially Devoiced [dɔɡ̥]
    Glottalized (or Creaky Voice) [bɑ̰ks]
    Breathy (or Murmured) [pli̤z]
Stop Release Symbols
    Aspirated [tʰɑp]
    Unaspirated [st=ɑp]
    Unreleased [lip̚]
Syllabic Symbol
Conclusion
Chapter Summary Exercises

Chapter 8. Practicing Broad and Narrow Transcription of Children’s Speech
Introduction
Diacritics for Clinical or Developmental Variation
Preparing to Practice Clinical Transcription
Part A: Transcription of Stop Sound Changes
Training Modules: Stops
    Stops Module 1: Stop Substitutions
    Stops Module 2: Stop Deletions
    Stops Module 3: Glottal Stop Substitutions
    Stops Module 4: Voicing of Voiceless Stops
    Stops Module 5: Devoicing of Voiced Stops
    Stops Module 6: Frictionalized Stops
    Stops Module 7: Summary Quiz
Part B: Transcription of Fricative and Affricate Sound Changes
    Description of Fricatives
    Distribution and Frequency of Occurrence of Fricatives and Affricates
Training Modules: Fricatives and Affricates
    Overview
        Stopping
        Place Substitutions
        Deletions
        Voicing Changes
        Distortions
        Summary
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 1: Nonsibilant Fricative Substitutions 
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 2: Sibilant Fricative and Affricate Substitutions
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 3: Fricative Deletions
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 4: Fricative and Affricate Voicing Changes
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 5: Dentalized Sibilants
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 6: Lateralized Sibilants
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 7: Palatalized Sibilants
    Whistled (or Hissed)
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 8: Sibilants Quiz
    Fricatives and Affricates Module 9: Summary Quiz
Part C: Transcription of Glide and Liquid Changes
    Description of Glides and Liquids
    Distribution and Frequency 
Training Modules: Glides and Liquids
    Glides and Liquids Module 1: Glide Changes
    Glides and Liquids Module 2: /l/ Substitutions
    Glides and Liquids Module 3: Velarized /l/
    Trilled rhotic /r/
    Glides and Liquids Module 4: Derhotacized /ɹ/, /ɝ/, /ɚ/
    Derhotacized [ɹ̮ɛd]
    Glides and Liquids Module 5: Velarized /ɹ/
    Glides and Liquids Module 6: /ɹ/ Quiz
    Glides and Liquids Module 7: Summary Quiz
Part D: Transcription of Nasal Sound Changes
Training Modules: Nasals
    Nasals Module 1: Nasal Deletions
    Nasals Module 2: Summary Quiz
Part E: Transcription of Vowel Sound Changes
Training Modules: Vowels
    Vowels Module 1: Vowel Substitutions
    Vowels Module 2: Vowel Modifications
        Rounded and Unrounded Production [swi̹t]; [du̜d]
        Fronted/Advanced and Backed/Retracted Production [hɑ̟t]; [sæ̠d]
        Raised and Lowered Production[sɛ̝t]; [bɛ̞d]
    Vowels Module 3: Central Vowels
    Vowels Module 4: Vowel Substitutions, Modifications, and Central Vowels
    Vowels Module 5: Vowel Additions
    Vowels Module 6: Vowel Lengthening [biːd]
    Vowels Module 7: Vowel Nasalization
    Vowels Module 8: Summary Quiz
Other Symbols used in Clinical Transcription
    Synchronic Tie
    Unintelligible Syllable
    Questionable Segment
Grand Quiz

Chapter 9. Preparing to Collect and Transcribe Clinical Speech Samples
Eliciting and Recording Speech Samples
    Recording Equipment
        Microphones
        Digital Recording Options
    The Recording Environment
    Eliciting the Sample
Factors that Influence Scoring and Transcription
    Client Factors
        Age and Behavior
        Individual Speaking Characteristics
        Intelligibility
        Phonetic Variation
    Task Factors
        Linguistic Context
        Response Requirements
        Judgment Bias
Approaches to Clinical Transcription and Scoring
    Transcription and Scoring Systems
    What Level of Detail Should Be Represented?
        Broad versus Narrow Transcription
        How Much of the Data Should Be Transcribed Live versus Transcribed Later from Audio or Video Recordings?
The Process of Scoring or Transcription
    Should I Use Video Recording?
    Should I Use Headphones?
    Should I Preview the Recording?
    What if I’m Not Sure What I’m Hearing?
    How Many Times Should I Listen?
    What Are Some Strategies for Difficult Words?
    Some Final Suggestions
Conclusion

Chapter 10. Phonetics in the Clinical Setting
Single-Word Tests of Articulation and Phonology
Transcribing Nonwords
Two-Way Scoring and Deep Testing
Two-Way Scoring in Larger Speech Samples
    Rating /s/ in Continuous Speech
    Rating Rhotics in Continuous Speech
Transcription in Larger Speech Samples
    Transcribing Imitated Phrases
    Transcribing Read Sentences
    Transcribing All Sounds in Continuous Speech 
Transcribing Children with Motor Speech Disorders
    Motor Speech Disorders: Imitated Single Words
    Motor Speech Disorders: Imitated Words in Phrases
    Motor Speech Disorders: Imitated Sentences
    Motor Speech Disorders: Conversational Speech
Conclusion

Chapter 11. Transcribing Phonetic Variation
Introduction
Part A: Transcribing Regional Variation in American English
Southern American English
    Location
    Major Features 
Western American English
    Location
    Major Features 
Midland American English
    Location
    Major Features
Northern American English 
    Location
    Major Features
Northeastern Varieties of American English
    Location
    Major Features
Practice Discriminating Regional Variation in Vowels
Regional Variation in Consonants
Socioprosodics
International Englishes
Part B: African American English
    Origins of AAE
    Clinical and Educational Considerations
Major Features of AAE
Part C: Transcribing Multilingual Speakers
    Working with Speakers from Unfamiliar Language Backgrounds
    Transfer from Spanish to English
Features of Spanish-influenced English
Conclusion
Further Reading
Online Resources

Transcription Trainings

Appendices
Appendix A-1. The International Phonetic Alphabet (Revised to 2020)
Appendix A-2. extIPA Symbols for Disordered Speech
Appendix B-1. Proportional Occurrence of Vowels in American English for Adults and Children
Appendix B-2. Proportional Occurrence of Consonant Phonemes in the Speech of Adults and Children

Glossary
Answers to Chapter Summary Exercises
References
Index

Clinical Phonetics, Sixth Edition comes with access to supplementary student and instructor resources on a PluralPlus companion website.

The companion website is located at: https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publication/cp6e

STUDENTS:

The student resources include Audio Examples and Exercises, Videos, Transcription Sheets, Transcription Training Keys, Chapter Quizzes with Answers, and eFlashcards.

To access the student resources, you must register on the companion website and log in using the access code located in the front of your textbook.

INSTRUCTORS:

The instructor resources include PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank, Chapter Quizzes with Answers. You will also have access to all of the student resources listed above.

To access the instructor resources, you must contact Plural Publishing, Inc. to be verified as an instructor and receive your access code.

            Email: instructormaterials@pluralpublishing.com

            Tel: 866-758-7251 (toll free) or 858-492-1555

*Note for students: If you have purchased this textbook used or have rented it, your access code will not work if it was already redeemed by the original buyer of the book. Plural Publishing does not offer replacement access codes for used or rented textbooks.