What is the difference between phonetics and phonology in terms of their goals?

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What is the difference between phonetics and phonology in terms of their goals?

Phonetics and phonology are two subfields of linguistics that study the sounds of human language. While they are closely related, they differ in terms of their goals.

Phonetics is concerned with the physical properties of sounds, focusing on their production, transmission, and perception. It aims to describe and classify the sounds of human language, examining their articulatory, acoustic, and auditory characteristics. The goal of phonetics is to provide a detailed and objective analysis of speech sounds, without considering their linguistic function or meaning. It investigates how sounds are produced by the vocal organs, how they are transmitted through the air as sound waves, and how they are perceived by the human auditory system.

On the other hand, phonology is concerned with the abstract and mental representations of sounds in a particular language or languages. It focuses on the systematic organization and patterns of sounds within a linguistic system. Phonology aims to understand how sounds function within a language, how they interact with each other, and how they contribute to the meaning and structure of words and sentences. It investigates the rules and constraints that govern the distribution and combination of sounds, as well as the phonological processes that occur in different languages.

In summary, while phonetics deals with the physical properties of sounds, phonology deals with the abstract and mental representations of sounds within a linguistic system. Phonetics aims to describe and classify sounds objectively, while phonology aims to understand the systematic organization and patterns of sounds within a language.