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Those marked with * are especially recommended for purchase.

1. Introductory Texts

  • *Roca, I. and W. Johnson, 1999. A Course in Phonology. Blackwell. Main coursebook for the first term of phonology lectures. A gentle introduction to phonological theory, presupposing no prior knowledge of phonetics or phonology.
  • Carr, P. 1993. Phonology. Macmillan. A gently-paced introduction to generative phonology, with plenty of practical exercises.
  • Durand, J. 1990. Generative and Non-Linear Phonology. Longman.

    A clear but concise introduction to the most recent theories and issues in phonology.
  • Goldsmith, J.A. 1990. Autosegmental and Metrical Phonology. Blackwell. A first full-length introduction to non-linear phonology.
  • Fudge, E. 1973. Phonology. Penguin. Classic readings in mainly pre-generative phonology. Good for historical perspective.
  • Lass, R. 1984. Phonology. CUP. A more advanced introduction to phonological theory, stopping short of the most recent developments. Written in a challenging and argumentative style, it is not for the complete beginner, nor for reading in large chunks. Very valuable for a critical view of principles and developments, and for a wide range of references and linguistic data.
  • *Gussenhoven, C. & Jacobs, H. (2011). Understanding phonology. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Arnold.

2. Advanced Texts

  • Anderson, S. 1985. Phonology in the Twentieth Century. University of Chicago Press. A comprehensive survey of the development of phonology, from a generative perspective.
  • Bird, S. 1995. Computational Phonology : A constraint-based approach. CUP.
  • Chomsky, N. & M. Halle 1968. The Sound Pattern of English (usually abbreviated to SPE). Harper and Row. Reissued in paperback by MIT Press. The classic exposition of generative phonology. Necessary reading for an understanding of the foundations of generative phonology, though many of its central proposals have been superseded by work of the 70s and 80s.
  • Coleman, J. S. 1998. Phonological Representations: Their names, forms and powers. CUP.
  • Goldsmith, J.A., 1999. ed. Phonological theory: The Essential Readings. Blackwell.
  • Hayes, B. 1995. Metrical Stress Theory. University of Chicago.
  • Kelly, J. and J. Local 1989. Doing Phonology. University of Manchester Press. A personal and idiosyncratic view of the practise of phonetic observation leading to phonological analysis. A valuable complement to theoretical textbooks.
  • Kenstowicz, M. 1994. Phonology in Generative Grammar. Blackwell.

    A comprehensive introduction to 1990s phonology. A fundamental text for the Hilary Term lecture course.
  • Lass, R. 1984. Phonology. CUP. A more advanced introduction to concepts in phonological theory, stopping short of the most recent developments. Written in a challenging and argumentative style, it is not for the complete beginner, nor for reading in large chunks. Very valuable for a critical view of principles and developments, and for a wide range of references and linguistic data.
  • Roca, I. 1994. Generative Phonology. Routledge.
  • Sommerstein, A. 1977. Modern Phonology. Edward Amold. Broad-ranging and critical, without the idiosyncrasies of Lass. Excellent coverage of nongenerative approaches.
  • Trubetzkoy, N. 1969. Principles of Phonology (trans. C. Baltaxe). University of Chicago Press. Original Grundzüge der Phonologie, 1939; French translation Principes de Phonologie, 1964. The first major work to conceive of a phonology distinct from phonetics. Source of many of the fundamental concepts of phonology.

3. Reference

  • Fischer-Jørgensen, E. 1995. Trends in Phonological Theory until 1975: a Historical Introduction. 2nd ed. Copenhagen: C.A. Reitzel. A survey of mainly pre-generative phonology.
  • Goldsmith, J.A., J. Riggle & A.C. Yu. 2011. The Handbook of Phonological Theory. 2nd ed. Blackwell.
  • Maddieson, I. 1984. Patterns of Sounds. CUP. A wide-scale survey of the phoneme inventories of hundreds of the world's languages.

4. Phonology Workbooks

The following are useful collections of phonology exercises, similar (or even identical!) to those used in problem classes, and with practical advice on phonological analysis and rule-writing.

  • Halle, M. & G. N. Clements 1983. Problem Book in Phonology. MITP.
  • Roca, I, and W. Johnson, 1999. A Workbook in Phonology.
  • Whitley, W.S. 1978. Generative Phonology Workbook. University of Wisconsin Press.

5. Journals on Phonology

Phonology articles are spread over the major linguistics journals (see above), and are frequently high-level research documents. Serials devoted mainly to phonology are: