What is the difference between phonetics and phonemics?

Phonetics And Phonology Questions Medium



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What is the difference between phonetics and phonemics?

Phonetics and phonemics are two subfields within the study of linguistics that focus on the sounds of human language. While they are closely related, there are distinct differences between the two.

Phonetics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the physical properties of speech sounds. It examines the production, transmission, and perception of these sounds. Phonetics is concerned with the articulatory, acoustic, and auditory aspects of speech. It analyzes the physical characteristics of sounds, such as their place and manner of articulation, voicing, and duration. Phonetics aims to describe and classify all possible sounds used in human languages, regardless of their linguistic significance.

On the other hand, phonemics, also known as phonology, focuses on the functional and abstract aspects of speech sounds within a particular language. It studies the way sounds function in a specific language system and how they contribute to meaning. Phonemics identifies and analyzes the distinctive sounds, or phonemes, in a language and their distribution patterns. It investigates the phonological rules and processes that govern the organization and combination of these phonemes to form meaningful units, such as words and sentences.

In summary, phonetics deals with the physical properties and production of speech sounds, while phonemics focuses on the functional and abstract aspects of sounds within a specific language system. Phonetics is concerned with the universal properties of sounds, while phonemics examines the specific sound patterns and rules of a particular language.