Phonetics

Phonetics is a field of linguistics that studies the sounds of human speech. Often referred to as the science of human speech, phonetics analyzes all aspects of speech production, transmission, and perception. Linguists specializing in phonetics are referred to as phoneticians. Phoneticians study speech sound combinations and descriptions and determine how these sounds are represented by human symbols. Although some experts consider phonetics a part of linguistic sciences, others view phonetics as an independent field of specialty existing alongside linguistics. Phonetics differs from phonology, which is a branch of theoretical linguistics that studies how sounds are methodically organized in language. Phoneticians study three basic areas of phonetics: articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics, and auditory phonetics. Phonetics can be used to teach a person the proper pronunciation of words. It is also used by forensic scientists to analyze language in testimonies or legal texts and by computer scientists to program technologies that convert human speech to text.

Background

Studies in speech analysis date back to the fifth or sixth century BCE, appearing in the works of several Sanskrit grammar experts. Sanskrit was the language of ancient Indian Hindus. Many linguistics experts credit a Sanskrit grammarian named Panini as the earliest proponent of phonetics. Panini wrote a treatise on the language of Sanskrit titled Astadhyayi, which analyzed the differences between the language found in sacred texts and the language of everyday communication. The text outlined specific rules and definitions of Sanskrit grammar, touching on the analysis of consonants and how they are placed and pronounced. Early linguistics studies in India were highly advanced and, at times, comparable to linguistics studies conducted in the twenty-first century.

The ancient study of language primarily occurred in India, although ancient Greeks and Romans also engaged in limited phonetics studies. Early studies in phonetics were not consistent, however, and large gaps of time exist between each pursuit of phonetics knowledge. Understanding of phonetics varied throughout the centuries as scholars continued to analyze evolving modes of speech. Apart from Panini and his contemporaries' dedicated efforts to phonetics, the field did not receive much interest until the modern era. Throughout the three millennia of phonetics research, the scholarly focus shifted from subjects such as the difference between written and spoken language, the physiological elements of speech making, and the need for reform of grammar and spelling standards. Phonetics concepts were later applied to the audio-lingual education of deaf people as well as speech therapy for speech and language disorders.

Interest in phonetics increased in the nineteenth century, as developments in physics, medicine, and recording technologies such as the phonograph gave linguists a broader understanding of the many facets of human speech production and reception. The term phonetic came into use during this period. Several individuals made important contributions to the study of phonetics. In the mid-1800s, Alexander Melville Bell delved into the subject of physiological phonetics in his studies of elocution, or the art of speaking clearly. He devised a system of speech sound symbols that detailed the position of speech-making organs when they are producing sounds, creating a phonetic alphabet referred to as "visible speech." Bell used these symbols to help people with speech and hearing problems. He published a text on the subject in 1867 titled Visible Speech: The Science of Universal Alphabetics. Bell and his son, Alexander Graham Bell, published a number of texts on visible speech and phonetics throughout the late nineteenth century. The study of phonetics continued to evolve throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By this point, phoneticians generally agreed the field was an interdisciplinary subject rooted primarily in physiological science, acoustic science, and linguistic science.

Overview

Phonetics can be divided into three fields of concentration: articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics, and auditory phonetics. Articulatory phonetics examines the arrangement of the vocal tract during the production of speech sounds. Acoustic phonetics deals with the acoustics, or sound-carrying ability, of speech sounds. Auditory phonetics focuses on how the body's auditory system and brain hear and perceive speech sounds.

Articulatory phonetics focuses on articulation, or the pronouncing of words and the manner in which they are pronounced. This area investigates the physical mechanisms employed while producing spoken language. The goal of this area of phonetics is to match linguistic representations to real-time vocal tract movements and their resultant speech sounds. Phoneticians studying this area take into account the aerodynamic conditions needed to produce sound and examine how different parts of the body move and shift to produce speech. Articulatory phonetics also concerns itself with figuring out what parts of speech articulation result from physical means and what parts are due to the incorporation of linguistic representation.

Acoustic phonetics studies the acoustic characteristics of speech, which means it analyzes how speech sounds are carried and heard. Acoustic phonetics examines the physical properties of speech, such as intensity, frequency, and duration. Advanced technologies have made the analysis and visualization of a speech signal easily accessible. These devices analyze the form of sound waves. Phoneticians use their research to distinguish between the acoustics of speech sounds, such as vowels and consonants.

Auditory phonetics deals with the ways in which speech sounds are heard and interpreted by the body's auditory mechanisms and brain. Auditory phoneticians study how a speech sound enters the auditory apparatus and is then transferred as information to the brain. It also focuses on how the brain analyzes this information and decodes the speech sound so it can understand a verbal message.

Bibliography

Allen, Keith, editor. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics. Oxford University Press, 2013.

Crystal, David. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2008.

Duchan, Judy. "Alexander Melville Bell." University of Buffalo, 29 May 2023, www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~duchan/new‗history/hist19c/subpages/mbell.html. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Huffman, Marie K. "Articulatory Phonetics." Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Linguistics, 9 May 2016, linguistics.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.001.0001/acrefore-9780199384655-e-55. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Jongman, Allard. "Acoustic Phonetics." Oxford Bibliographies, 23 June 2023, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0047.xml. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Nordquist, Richard. "What Is Phonetics?" ThoughtCo., 3 July 2019, www.thoughtco.com/phonetics-definition-1691622. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“Phonetics.” The University of Sheffield Centre for Linguistic Research, www.sheffield.ac.uk/linguistics/home/all-about-linguistics/about-website/branches-linguistics/phonetics. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

"What Is Phonetics?" British Association of Academic Phoneticians (BAAP), www.baap.ac.uk/phonetics.html. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.