This book provides a compact overview of various models of phonology, comparing the benefits and problems of each one in representing the wide array of phonological phenomena that occur in languages around the world. Chapter 1 discusses the role and importance of phonological theory, while Chapter 2 offers an overview of articulation and the basic classification of vowels and consonants. Chapter 3 introduces some basic phonological concepts that are found in different languages, including systematicity and the avoidance of gaps. Chapter 4 compares two fundamentally different approaches to phonology, a rule-based approach and a constraint-based approach, Optimality Theory, in dealing with two issues: the realisation of the English -s suffix as [z], [s] or [ɪz]; and how the word for ‘glue’ that is borrowed from Indonesian gets pronounced as [ˈleʔeŋ] in Konjo. Chapter 5 discusses underlying and surface representations, in particular considering allophonic variation and neutralization. In Chapter 6, a set of distinctive features is presented to show the major features, laryngeal settings, and the manner and place of articulation of sounds. Chapter 7 offers a detailed case study of the pronunciation of the diminutive suffix in Dutch using distinctive features and ordered rules. Chapter 8 introduces some concepts that have been important in the discussion of rule ordering: feeding, counterfeeding, bleeding and counterbleeding, and it compares how well linear rule-based systems and Optimality Theory deal with these issues. In Chapter 9 layers of representation are discussed particularly within the framework of Lexical Phonology, and the status of postlexical rules and phonetic implementation rules is considered. Chapter 10 considers the analysis of tone and shows how sequences of tones are handled within the framework of Autosegmental Phonology, and it introduces concepts such as the Obligatory Contour Principle. The Autosegmental approach is developed in Chapter 11 to deal with the segmental structure of words, including the possibility for separate tiers to represent the syllable and the mora. Chapter 12 considers how laryngeal, manner and place features may be represented within a feature tree, and it considers spreading, delinking and underspecification, and in Chapter 13 the feature tree is extended to deal with issues such as vowel harmony and complex segments. In Chapter 14, a comparison is made between linear phonology and metrical phonology in how they represent stress and feet, and in Chapter 15 the ways that Metrical Phonology and Optimality Theory deal with iambic and trochaic rhythm are compared. Finally, Chapter 16 considers the phonological representation of intonation.

In comparison with the second edition of the book, some material has been added and some has been moved around. For example, most of the original Chapters 1 and 2 are switched around, so the importance of phonology is now discussed before an overview of articulation and phonetic classification are given. While establishing the importance of a field of study before going into some of the details of classification is certainly an excellent way of presenting the material, unfortunately it results in some things being assumed before they are introduced, which suggests some shortcomings in the final proofreading. For example, Chapter 1 makes extensive use of phonetic symbols before they are introduced in Chapter 2, and mention is made of aspiration (p. 10) before the concept of aspiration is discussed (p. 18).

In fact, throughout the book concepts are referred to before they are introduced. For example, on page 146 the concept of the mora is mentioned, on page 151 the mora is suggested as the TBU (tone bearing unit) in some languages, and on page 162 there is discussion of the role of the mora in establishing the distinction between light and heavy syllables, but the mora is actually only explained on page 172. In many ways, this book would benefit from a simple glossary that offered definitions and brief explanations of all technical terms. Furthermore, this would substantially help readers deal with concepts that are explained and then referred to later in the book. For example, there is a brief mention of the Obligatory Contour Principle on page 43 (with no use of the OCP initials), and then for Question 86 on page 139, the Answer at the back of the book makes reference to the OCP with no further explanation. In fact, the Obligatory Contour Principle is actually only described in detail on page 156. But perhaps students are not really expected to understand all the details of the Questions. Or maybe it is not expected that anyone can understand the book in a single reading, so repeated study of the material is recommended, in which case using a concept before it is explained may not matter too much. Nevertheless, a glossary would have helped.

There are a total of 146 Questions in the book (an increase from the 129 Questions in the second edition). While these Questions provide some excellent, detailed phonological problems for students to grapple with, and they offer an incredibly rich source of material for analysing the phonological structure of a wide range of different languages, I have to admit that I was only able to solve about half of them without consulting the Answer Key at the back. For example, Question 129 on page 219 presents what appears to be a fairly simple problem about the stress patterns in Passamaquoddy words based on just five examples, but try as I might, I was unable to come up with a solution. When I consulted the Answer on page 293, I found the solution was fifteen lines long and involved reference to heavy syllables, the penultimate and the antepenultimate syllables, separation of syllables with full vowels by an odd number of syllables, and distance from the start of the word (among other things). No wonder I could not derive this answer! But perhaps this does not matter. Maybe the fact that a detailed solution is provided in the Answer Key allows readers to understand the material even when they cannot solve some of the problems independently. But I suspect that many students will find this material challenging, and also somewhat frustrating.

Sometimes, it even seems that making the material tough was a deliberate choice. Chapter 8 compares the rules of Linear Phonology with the constraints of Optimality Theory in dealing with Gran Canarian Spanish pronunciation of /lagana/ as [la ɣana] and /lakama/ as [lagama], and also the pronunciation of Slovak /pan+æ/ as [paɲa], and after an authoritative but rather complicated consideration of how these two different models of phonology handle the issues, the conclusion on page 130 is that native speakers do not seem to have any problems in producing the right form, which “leaves us wondering what went wrong” with the various phonological theories that have been developed. And at times one gets the idea that this is the message of the whole book: phonology is a tough subject, and if you are going to gain a good grasp of it, you will have to spend a lot of time and energy studying it. If you are ambitious and determined and are willing to devote effort to working through this book and probably re-reading whole chunks of it, this is probably exactly the right book for you.

In conclusion, this book is packed with lots and lots of detailed phonological material that is carefully presented with great authority, but many students of the subject are likely to find the density of the material somewhat overwhelming. With some scaffolding provided by a tutor, it could be an exceptionally valuable resource book, as it is indeed packed full of extraordinarily valuable data from a wide range of languages with many challenging exercises for readers to work on and thereby gain a good understanding of the various phonological theories. However, while some ambitious students will undoubtedly find the material splendid, it seems likely that most ordinary mortals who are looking for an accessible introduction to phonological theory will find the book frustrating.