Aimed principally at the undergraduate student, this exciting new textbook provides a compact presentation of the fundamental concepts of phonology. The four main themes - syllable structure, feature structure, rules and stress/rhythm - include illuminating references to a variety of languages. No previous knowledge of contemporary phonological theory is assumed beyond that found in a typical first year introductory course. Each chapter is provided with helpful exercises and further reading. This volume is an essential text for students of linguistics, English language and speech sciences.