Thursday 30 September 2010

Difference between Phonetics and Phonology

            Both phonetics and phonology are both concerned with speech sounds although they deal with different aspects of speech sounds in linguistics investigation. We would look at the distinction between phonetics and phonology.








Firstly, phonetics is a science of speech sounds, which studies their production, transmission and reception in an impartial and practical manner, even in laboratory. On the other hand, phonology is the study of the ways in which sounds form system and pattern is called phonology.


Secondly, phonetic is confined to the concrete level of sound descriptions, whereas phonology has its job within the abstract level of sound analysis.


Thirdly, a phonetic study of a language refers to the inventory and description of phonetic segments of the language. On the other hand, a phonological study of a language refers to the  inventory of phonemic segments of the language.

Fourthly, while a phonetic entity or unit is 'phone', a phonological unit is 'phoneme.' 


Fifthly, a phonetic unit is transcribed between square brackets, for example [p] etc. On the other hand, a phonological unit is transcribed between slashes, for example /p/, /t/ etc.


Sixthly, a phonetic unit is incapable of meaning contrast, while a phonological unit is can produce a meaning difference.






In sum, while phonetics is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds, phonology studies how speech sounds function to produce meaning contrast.

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