1

I'm reading about sound only because I like linguistics. I loathe, and have never taken any, physics. But I can do high school math, as I like statistics (not mathematical physics).

I'm too dumb to understand even the explanations of harmonics/overtones, resonance, formants in Vowels and Consonants (3rd Edition 2012) and Phonetics for Dummies (2013). Thus please recommend something readable that's more rudimentary? Thanks!

No library near me owns Sound: A Very Short Introduction. The Science of Sound feels too advanced.

  • 2
    J.C. Catford's A Practical Introduction to Phonetics. It's set up for autodidacts to teach themselves by experiment exactly how to make various kinds of sounds. There's nothing like it. – jlawler Jun 07 '18 at 02:15
  • 1
    @jlawler Thanks!!! Not enough rep. to upvote your comment though. –  Jun 07 '18 at 03:32
  • 1
    It sounds like you're not interested in phonetics, you're interested in something (smaller) that some phoneticians do. You can't learn intro phonetics without getting a grasp on basic physics, but you can learn what the letters are about with the Pullum/Ladusaw book, or something about making sounds with Catford. Phonetics is not about "making sounds". I think you'd be better served by not assuming you care about phonetics, and introspect about what it is that does interest you. Why do you care about the sounds ʕ, ɯ (if you do)? The answer can point you in the right direction. – user6726 Jun 07 '18 at 16:57

0 Answers0