The Sounds of Language is an introductory guide to the linguistic study of speech sounds, which gives equal weight to both phonology and phonetics. Integrating these two disciplines allows students to appreciate the relationship of phonology and phonetics to each other, and to identify areas of overlap and mutual concern. Theoretically grounded, the book explores the range of data that any theory must account for, and discusses important concepts and constructs that emerge from it, such as active versus passive articulator, perception as distinct from hearing, contrast, alternation, and markedness. Zsiga presents a critical overview of different approaches that have been used in tackling these issues, with opportunities for students to practice data analysis and hypothesis testing. Data on sociolinguistic variation, first language acquisition and second language learning is integrated throughout the text, along with valuable exercises, problem sets, online data, and sound files.