By working through the book and the various exercises included, students should come to understand the need for a dedicated system of description and transcription for speech sounds, and for a degree of phonological abstraction. They should learn to carry out elementary, broad phonetic transcription, and be able to establish contrastive vowel and consonant systems for their own varieties and to express simple generalisations reflecting the productive and predictable patterns of English sounds.* designed for a one-term or one-semester introductory course in English Language* suitable for both native and non-native speakers of English* emphasis on varieties of modern English around the world* an essentially theory-neutral approach, with the concepts central to the practice of phonology clearly explained