Phonetics And Word Formation Questions
Phonetics and phonology are both subfields of linguistics that study the sounds of human language, but they focus on different aspects.
Phonetics is the study of the physical sounds of speech. It examines the production, transmission, and perception of these sounds, and it analyzes the articulatory, acoustic, and auditory properties of speech sounds. Phonetics is concerned with the actual sounds produced by humans, regardless of their linguistic function or meaning.
On the other hand, phonology is the study of the abstract, mental representations and patterns of sounds in a particular language or languages. It investigates how sounds function within a specific linguistic system, including their distribution, organization, and relationships. Phonology is concerned with the way sounds are used to convey meaning and how they interact with each other in a given language.
In summary, phonetics focuses on the physical properties of speech sounds, while phonology examines the abstract patterns and functions of sounds within a linguistic system.