Sounds Interesting Observations on English and General Phonetics
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Biographical note
John C. Wells is Emeritus Professor of Phonetics at University College London and a Fellow of the British Academy. His interests centre on the phonetic and phonological description of languages but also extend to lexicography and language teaching.Sounds Interesting Observations on English and General Phonetics
'This delightful collection of fascinating anecdotes, keen observations about the ways things are pronounced, and erudite reflections from his long and distinguished career as a phonetician will ensure that John Wells continues to be an inspiration not just for established linguists and students of phonetics but also for a wide range of readers with a general interest in language.' David Deterding, Universiti Brunei Darussalam
'There is absolutely nothing having to do with the speech sounds of English - and languages in general - that John Wells cannot write about brilliantly, persuasively, knowledgeably and entertainingly. Sounds Interesting truly is extraordinarily interesting.' Peter Trudgill, University of Agder
'We are lucky to have the changes in the English language presented and described here by such a great scholar.' Liu Sen, East China Normal University
'This book is written clearly, in a style that should be approachable to both specialists and non-specialist[s] … I would recommend [it] to anyone looking for clear and engaging discussion regarding English pronunciation, linguistics, phonetics, spelling, intonation and a wide variety of other topics.' Cory Holland, The Linguist List
'This book of lively observations generates enthusiasm in any reader, and it teaches you to listen more carefully to people's pronunciation habits and enjoy and appreciate pronunciation variation and oddities more than ever.' Dick Smakman, English Studies
'This delightful collection of fascinating anecdotes, keen observations about the ways things are pronounced, and erudite reflections from his long and distinguished career as a phonetician will ensure that John Wells continues to be an inspiration not just for established linguists and students of phonetics but also for a wide range of readers with a general interest in language.' David Deterding, Universiti Brunei Darussalam
'There is absolutely nothing having to do with the speech sounds of English - and languages in general - that John Wells cannot write about brilliantly, persuasively, knowledgeably and entertainingly. Sounds Interesting truly is extraordinarily interesting.' Peter Trudgill, University of Agder
'We are lucky to have the changes in the English language presented and described here by such a great scholar.' Liu Sen, East China Normal University
'This book is written clearly, in a style that should be approachable to both specialists and non-specialist[s] … I would recommend [it] to anyone looking for clear and engaging discussion regarding English pronunciation, linguistics, phonetics, spelling, intonation and a wide variety of other topics.' Cory Holland, The Linguist List
'This book of lively observations generates enthusiasm in any reader, and it teaches you to listen more carefully to people's pronunciation habits and enjoy and appreciate pronunciation variation and oddities more than ever.' Dick Smakman, English Studies