This articulatory phonetics textbook is designed especially for students whose aim is to learn an unwritten language, as the McKinneys did. In clear terms, it teaches how to pronounce virtually every known sound of the world's languages, describing in detail what is happening in one's mouth, with accompanying diagrams and practical tips (see diagram at right). The authors also incorporate data from current research on a number of sounds, including two recently  documented sounds (the labial flap and the interdental approximant), as well as the resu lts of cameras capturing speech events far down the throat. 

The majority of the book teaches the articulatory details of specific speech sounds, but chapters also include materials on acoustic phonetics, palatography, the fascinating areas of sociophonetics and dialectal differences, and practical considerations for conducting phonetic field work.

The  McKinneys  also provide fresh information on fortis-lenis consonants, based on their research of the Jju language of Nigeria. Various SIL fieldworkers have contributed new data from areas of the world where they worked, e.g. Ethiopia, Louisiana, and Papua New Guinea. 

Anecdotes from the authors' and others' field experiences enliven the book. Another strength is the phonetic exercises given in each chapter and the Appendices that cite data from many of the lesser-known languages of the world.

An extensive Glossary and References help the reader to review the basic concepts, and also provide resources for the interested student to dig deeper.