shatt Al-Arab University College

Department of English
Second stage

Research paper submitted to the department of English as partial

Fulfillment of the requirement
In English language

(phonetics and phonology)

By

Ali Tawfeeq Mashhad

Supervised By

Dr. Zainab Y.Yousef

-Phonetics:

Phonetics is the science which studies the characteristics of human

sound-making, especially those sounds used in speech, and provides
methods for their description, classification and transcription.

Three branches of the subject are generally recognized

1- Articulatory phonetics: which is the study of the way speech sounds

are made ( articulated) by the vocal organs.

2- Acoustic phonetics: studies the physical properties of speech

sound, as transmitted between mouth and ear.

3- Auditory phonetics studies the perceptual response to speech

sounds, as mediated by ear, auditory nerves an brain.

-Phonology:

Is a branch of linguistics which studies the sound systems of

languages. Out of the very wide range of sounds the human vocal
apparatus can produce, and which are studied by phonetics. Only a
relatively small number are used distinctively in any one language. The
sounds are organized into a system of contrasts, which are analyzed in
terms of phonemes , distinctive features or other such phonological
units , according to the theory used. The aim of phonology is concerned
with the range of function of sounds in specific languages, and with the
rules which can be written to show the types of phonetic relationships
that relate and contrast words and other linguistic units.

In linguistic theories, phonology is seen in one of two main ways:

1- As a level of linguistic organization, contrasted with the levels of

phonetics, grammar and semantics in the first instance;

2- As a component of generative grammar ( the phonological

component:, contrasted with the syntactic and semantic component.

Within phonology, two branches of study are usually recognized:

a. segmental phonology: which analyses speech into discrete

segments, such as phonemes;

b. Supra-segmental phonology: which analyses those features which

extend over more than one segment. Such as intonation.

Another distinctions is made between diachronic and synchronic

phonology, the former studying patterns of sound change in the history
of language, the latter studying sound patterns regardless of the
processes of historical change.

To summarize what comes up and in order to make a comparison

between the two linguistic branches: phonetics and phonology we can
say that phonetics deals with human speech sound in general without
refer to any particular language. It is descriptive because it studies the
articulation, transmission and perception of speech
sounds. Phonology on the other hand deals with human speech sounds
of a particular language, so it is particular. Also, it is functional because
it studies the rules which govern the behavior of speech sounds. It
studies the sound system; how speech sounds structure and function
together.