Yo Kass answered
Phonetics and phonology are both linguistic fields that are interested in the role of sound in language.
The main differences are that:
The confusion between phonetics is commonly made because the two fields are very closely related. The main difference is that phonetics has no interest whatsoever in whether a sound has any effect on the meaning of a word, but rather concentrates on how that word is vocalized and how we can represent that vocalisation.
Example of the difference between Phonetics and Phonology One example that highlights the difference between the two fields is the English phoneme c or k in words like 'school' and 'cat'. Whilst the 'k' sound in school and the 'k' sound in 'cat' may sound identical, they are actually slightly different.
Learning phonetics will help a foreign speaker sound more like a native speaker by making them aware of the different sounds that English makes use of. For example, the 'r' sound in English is phonetically different from the 'r' sound in Spanish, even though they are often represented by the same symbol in written language. A good phonetic understanding is very useful when learning another language.
Phonology, on the other hand, will help an ESL student understand when using a slightly different sound will impact on the meaning of a word.
One example would be Arabic-speakers who often don't differentiate between the bi-labial plosives 'b' and 'p' in their own language. Not understanding the phonological implications of distinguishing between 'b' and 'p' in English might result in an Arabic-speaker asking their baker for 'a dozen hamburger puns' for a barbecue they're hosting.
The main differences are that:
- Phonetics focuses on the way these sounds are made, classified, and how they are represented. In essence, phonetics looks at the relationship between sound and speech.
- Phonology concentrates on the relationship between sound and language. The meaning of sounds is more relevant to this field, and phonology also looks at how changes or patterns in sounds work in a language.
The confusion between phonetics is commonly made because the two fields are very closely related. The main difference is that phonetics has no interest whatsoever in whether a sound has any effect on the meaning of a word, but rather concentrates on how that word is vocalized and how we can represent that vocalisation.
Example of the difference between Phonetics and Phonology One example that highlights the difference between the two fields is the English phoneme c or k in words like 'school' and 'cat'. Whilst the 'k' sound in school and the 'k' sound in 'cat' may sound identical, they are actually slightly different.
- A phoneticist would mark this by aspirating the 'k' in 'cat' as [khæt].
- A phonologist would not be interested in noting the aspiration as it does not alter the meaning of the word. 'k' and 'kh' are interchangeable in English. This means they are part of the same 'phoneme'- a group of allophones (similar sounds) that have the same impact on the meaning of a word. A phonologist would write 'cat as /kæt/
Learning phonetics will help a foreign speaker sound more like a native speaker by making them aware of the different sounds that English makes use of. For example, the 'r' sound in English is phonetically different from the 'r' sound in Spanish, even though they are often represented by the same symbol in written language. A good phonetic understanding is very useful when learning another language.
Phonology, on the other hand, will help an ESL student understand when using a slightly different sound will impact on the meaning of a word.
One example would be Arabic-speakers who often don't differentiate between the bi-labial plosives 'b' and 'p' in their own language. Not understanding the phonological implications of distinguishing between 'b' and 'p' in English might result in an Arabic-speaker asking their baker for 'a dozen hamburger puns' for a barbecue they're hosting.
