This is the most comprehensive and current introduction to phonological theory and analysis. Presupposing only minimal background in linguistics, the book introduces the basic concepts and principles of phonological analysis and then systematically develops the major innovations in the generative model since Chomsky and Halle's Sound Patterns of English (1968). Careful study of the text will enable the student to read the current scholarly literature with critical understanding and some perspective. Some unique features of the book include a set of exercises reinforcing the basic concepts and principles, illustrations from a variety of languages based on published and unpublished materials, a survey of all the major lines of research in phonological theory, and an extensive bibliography.