Language Learning & Technologyhttp://llt.msu.edu/vol6num3/review4/September 2002, Volume 6, Number 3pp. 37-45Copyright © 2002, ISSN 1094-3501 37REVIEW OF THE MOUTON INTERACTIVE INTRODUCTION TOPHONETICS AND PHONOLOGYAND PHONETICS: AN INTERACTIVE INTRODUCTIONTitle The Mouton Interactive Introduction toPhonetics and Phonology (2000)Phonetics: An Interactive Introduction(2000; Contains bonus programIntroduction to Voice Onset Time, 1996)Author Jürgen Handke Nicholas Reid, with contributions fromHelen FraserPlatform Windows (9x/ME/NT 4.0/2000) andMacintosh (MacOS 8.1 or higher)Windows (95/98/NT4) and Macintosh(MacOS 7.5.1 or later)MinimumhardwarerequirementsPC: Pentium, 32 MB RAM, 30 MBhard disk space, SVGA graphicsboard, CD-ROM drive and sound card.Mac: PowerPC 120 MHz or higher, 32MB RAM, 30 MB hard disk space,screen resolution 800x600, colormonitor with thousands of colors orhigher, CD-ROM drive, sound card.PC: Pentium processor or equivalent, 2xspeed CD-ROM, 12 MB RAM (free),800x600 8-bit color display.Mac: 68040 or faster processor, 2x speedCD-ROM, 12 MB RAM (free), 800x6008-bit color display.Publisher Mouton de Gruyter.http://www.degruyter.de/mouton/phonetics/The University of New England,Australiahttp://www.une.edu.au/tlc/phon.htmSupport offered Extensive context-sensitive "Help"menus throughout the program, as wellas a "Help" index. Brief overview ofprogram options given in inside coverof booklet inside the jewel case.None. (Tips given from the Navigatepull-down menu.)Target language English and general English and generalTarget audience Linguistics students and instructors Linguistics students and instructorsPrice $39.95 (for orders placed in NorthAmerica). Class adoption price (20 ormore copies) $29.95. Campus license$750.UNE Student $21.93; Other Student$54.77; Institution $98.63. Incl. postage,handling and GST. (Price given inAustralian dollars.)ISBN 3-11-016812-X 1-86389-609-0Reviewed by D. Eric Holt, University of South CarolinaOVERVIEWThe Mouton Interactive Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology and Phonetics: An InteractiveIntroduction, which includes the bonus program Introduction to Voice Onset Time, are CD-basedmultimedia resources for the beginning student of linguistics, as well as for more advanced students (orinstructors) who desire further review of the fundamentals of phonetics and phonology in a visuallystimulating, interactive setting. Both CD-ROMs contain detailed illustrations, animated graphics, andvideo clips of the physical, acoustic, and auditory aspects of speech production and perception, and in thecase of the Mouton title, of more abstract phonological concepts, representations, and theories. Bothprograms are easily navigated via menu-driven commands and clickable hotlinks, and they includepractical exercises for the student to develop mastery of the concepts presented.Reviewed by D. Eric Holt Review of Mouton Interactive… and Phonetics…Language Learning & Technology 38These programs are part of the growing trend to offer Web-based or CD-ROM resources for students oflinguistics, such as those that supplement the texts of Hammond (2001, http://www.cascadilla.com/ssaa/index.html); Labov, Ash, & Boberg (2001, http://babel.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/home.html andhttp://www.uni-marburg.de/linguistik/dgweb/atlas/cdinfo.htm); Ladefoged (2001a, 2001b, http://hctv.humnet.ucla.edu/departments/linguistics/VowelsandConsonants/index.htm); as well as the ContemporaryLinguistics companion Web site (http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/linguistics/), which providesexcellent links on phonetics and phonology. The difference in the current context is, of course, that theCD-ROMs under review are stand-alone materials. (See the Appendix for a list of other multimedia andon-line phonetics and phonology materials.)DISCUSSIONThe Mouton Interactive Introduction to Phonetics and PhonologyFrom the opening screen, there is access to separate branches dedicated to phonetics and phonology, withover 100 screens of content. Various buttons appear on each screen when the functions are available:Navigation (which leads to the closest thing to what one might call the table of contents); Bibliography(with a list of 12 entries on phonetics and phonology, with reference information that can be copied to theclipboard; a blurb about the book, and a summary of its contents); Glossary (an A-Z listing of technicalwords and terms employed, with definitions and textual examples where appropriate); Notepad (for note-taking); Information (about the project and the author, narrated by the author); and Help. In addition,content screens have a button for the Interactive Tutor when relevant exercises are available.The Phonetics section shows all aspects of articulatory, auditory and acoustic phonetics, and in additionto text, includes numerous animations and sound files to help the student more fully grasp the conceptspresented (see Figures 1 and 2).Figure 1. Mouton Phonetics overviewReviewed by D. Eric Holt Review of Mouton Interactive… and Phonetics…Language Learning & Technology 39Figure 2. Mouton State of the GlottisThe interactive presentation of Phonetics is noteworthy. For example, one highly useful screen from thesubsection The Segments of Speech is The International Phonetic Alphabet: Pulmonic Consonants, whichcontains a full IPA chart. When a symbol is clicked, a traditional three-part articulatory description isshown, and the sound is heard, accompanied by animated side-view facial diagrams. Likewise, PrimaryCardinal Vowels allows the user to see how vowel sounds are produced by moving the cursor over avowel triangle superimposed on an animated human vocal tract (side view). As the cursor moves over acertain vowel, the mouth and tongue in the image shift to reflect the articulation of the vowel; anadditional front view of a human face also shifts according to the vowel produced, which may be heard byclicking on it. Finally, The Human Hearing System (from the Auditory Phonetics subsection) provides ananimated graphic of the workings of the outer, middle and inner ear, along with a voice-over descriptionby the author.The Phonology section covers standard topics such as the phoneme and distinctive features, as well assuprasegmentals and a variety of phonological theories from the ancient tradition to Optimality Theory,and it includes discussion of British and American English. There are copious illustrations of minimalpairs, stress and intonational phrases, and other topics, all