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Adonis R.

Enricuso English 240

1:00-4:00 p.m. (Saturday) GR 358MC

Reflection on the Difference between Phonetics and Phonology

Its very interesting to think that just like most academic topics, the study of phonetics and phonology might show some similarities, connections and even differences in principles. In giving light to separating these two disciplines for the purpose of relating them rather than distinguishing, it is but fitting to initially look at how experts try to describe these two terms. Phonology deals with the systems and structures of speech. Phonetics on the other hand, deals with four phonetic sciences, namely anatomy and physiology of speech, articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics and auditory or perceptual phonetics. (Clark et al. 2007). Generally speaking, it is therefore the study of speech emphasizing the description of speech sounds according to their production, transmission and perceptual features. Their main interrelationship lies in the fact that the latter emphasizes the form of speech sounds by describing and categorizing their physical attributes, while phonology stresses their function as meaning- establishing and meaning-differentiating phonemes within a language system (Bauman-Waengler, 2008). With the aforementioned descriptions, I agree that the two should be treated as integrative in nature (Clark et al. 2007). It seems to me that each of them could not fully function independently simply because these physical attributes of speech are what make up the concept of a linguistic system and structure that further serves other functions. Hence, the study of phonology is just there basically to bring these elements of phonetics onto another level of functionality. Therefore, it is not so impossible to claim that their roles in the world of linguistics might overlap at any certain points. Speaking of roles, I believe phonetics has been proving its importance. Apart from speech therapies, it also supports academic instructions like teaching English as a second language (TESL). Being able to investigate and explore how speech sounds are articulated, transmitted and perceived, phoneticians are truly capable of providing empirical studies that would help in improving teaching materials for classes that have certain connections with phonemic sounds. Meanwhile, phonologists could continuously come up with more patterns and functions of these phonetic units. After all, every language system is dynamic and evolving. In short, phonetics and phonology are two interrelated studies that are very significant even to address some modern challenges of our society. With the advent of technology, human speech might even go beyond human production, transmission and perception.

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