phonetics and phonology

phonetics and phonology

1. phonetics

   • definition
     • Phonetics essentially seeks to trace the processes physiologically involved in sound production. It describes the ways the sounds are produced and the points at which they are articulated.
   • articulatory features
     • /t/ is phonetically described as a pulmonic egressive voiceless alveolar plosive.
     • What this means is that the air stream coming out from the lungs initiated the sound.
     • The vocal folds did not vibrate in the course of its production.
     • The blade of the tongue had contact with the teeth ridge (the alveolar).
     • This contact created a total obstruction of the air stream coming from the lungs.
   • examples
     • linguodental: -teach -dust -dutch

2. phonology

   • suprasegmental features
     • However, the environment in which this sound occurs in the course of its production will influence the phonological description.
     • These environments are usually sounds, other sounds, that is, or the position of the sound in relation to other sounds.
     • Thus, phonologically, /t/ can be realised with aspiration in the initial position of a stressed syllable; that is, when /t/ comes before other sounds in a stressed syllable.
     • It can be realised as being lateralised when immediately followed by the lateral /l/.
     • It can also become nasalised if its closest succeeding neighbour is a nasal, especially the alveolar nasal /n/, which is actually a homorganic sound.
   • definition
     • Phonology is concerned with the regularities that govern the phonetic realisations of sounds in words of a language. It looks at and tries to establish a system of sound distinctions relevant to a particular language.
   • examples
     • /th/ in tape /tL/ in kettle /tN/ in kitten /to/ in other positions as in Kate

3. difference

   • Adeyanju (2003) expatiates on the difference. This is in terms of phonetics being concerned with providing the set of features which can describe the sounds of a language while phonology provides the information that has to do with the functional patterning of the sounds in the language.
     • He thus views phonetics as providing the raw materials for the description of the speech sounds production while phonology is about the organisation of the sound patterns in the language.

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