ENGLISH PHONETICS: PHONETICS VS PHONOLOGY

ENGLISH PHONETICS: PHONETICS VS PHONOLOGY

1. PHONETICS

   • Phonetics deals with the study of the sounds of human speech. It involves the examination and description of the physical properties of speech sounds, such as their production, transmission, and perception. It describes the physical realisation of sound and studies the physiological processes involved in sound production (Iyabode, 2011, p.1).
   • ARTICULATORY FEATURES
     • The articulatory features of phonetics refer to the physical movements and positions of the speech organs (such as the lips, tongue, and vocal cords) used to produce speech sounds. These features can be divided into three main categories:
       • 1. Place of Articulation: Location in the vocal tract where a sound is produced. Ex: sounds can be produced at the lips (labial), the teeth (dental), the hard palate (palatal), or the back of the mouth (velar), among others.. 2. Manner of Articulation: How a sound is produced. Ex: sounds can be produced by completely blocking the airflow (stop consonants), partially blocking the airflow (fricatives), or allowing the air to flow freely (vowels). 3. Voice Onset Time and Voicing: The amount of time between the release of a stop consonant and the onset of vocal cord vibration for the following vowel. Voicing refers to whether or not the vocal cords vibrate during the production of a sound.
         • Together, these articulatory features are used to describe the physical properties of speech sounds and to understand how different sounds are produced in different languages and dialects.
   • Phonetics focuses on the physical properties of speech sounds: Production, articulation and acoustic characteristics.
     • It aims to to understand the physical properties of speech sounds and how they are produced and perceived-
       • It studies the physiological processes involved in sound production.

2. PHONOLOGY

   • Phonology studies the patterns of sounds. It involves the analysis of the sound systems of different languages and how they are used to create meaning. Phonology focuses on the abstract and systematic patterns of sounds in a language. Therefore, we can say phonology studies sound behaviour in realisation.
   • SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES
     • These are aspects of speech that extend beyond the individual sounds or segments of a word. These features are used to convey information about the structure and meaning of spoken language.
       • 1) Pitch or intonation: This refers to the rise and fall of the voice during speech. Changes in pitch can indicate sentence type (such as a question or statement) or convey emphasis or emotion. EX: "It is a dog" (a fall in pitch will remain this as a statement, if the pitch raises then it would be a question). 2) Stress: Refers to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable or word in a sentence. In can change the meaning of a word. EX: "record" can be a noun or a verb, depending on where the stress falls. 3) Duration: This refers to the length of time that a sound or syllable is pronounced. Changes in duration can help to distinguish between different sounds or to convey emphasis. 4) Tone: Tone refers to the use of pitch to convey lexical or grammatical meaning. the meaning of a word can change depending on the tone used.
         • Suprasegmental features are important in phonology because they help to convey meaning and clarify the structure of spoken language.
   • Phonology on the enviromental factors that shape the sounds and how are these organized and used to convey meaning.
     • It aims to uo understand the organization and use of speech sounds in a particular language, and how they contribute to meaning.
       • It studies the behavioural patterns of sounds in actual speech.

3. ELABORATED BY: MARÍA JOSÉ CASTAÑEDA - GROUP 518014_56

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