Phonetics

Phonetics is the branch of linguistics which studies the sounds of speech and they way in which they are interpreted. Contrast this with Phonology which is the study of the sound system of a language.

Phonetics looks at the way in which sounds are produced (the position of the tongue, the lips, etc) and the way in which sounds are perceived (i.e. the way in which the ear works) and interpreted by the brain.

Pronunciation

In practical terms, phonetics deals with pronunciation of English. There is, of course, no single pronunciation which is correct but instead a number of variations: British English, American English, Australian English and so on. Some differences between these variants are due to pronunciation but others are due to grammatical differences.

Alongside the pronunciation of different sounds in English is word stress, that is which syllable is stressed in a word and sentence stress and intonation.

The IPA

Of critical importance in the study of phonetics is the use of the IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet. Knowledge of this will enable anyone to pronounce English accurately and also explain to others how to pronounce English accurately.

There are numerous reasons to use the IPA including:

• having a standard from which to teach
• allowing students to use their dictionaries more effectively
• giving the teacher a shortcut reference to explain to students certain sounds

Selective Sounds

Teachers can be selective in which sounds they teach and focus on. For example, the most common sound in English is the schwa which is represented thus: /ə/ (similar to a reversed and upside-down letter 'e'). If the students learn this symbol only it will help with their pronunciation of numerous words: taken, medium, brother and so on.

See Also

Dearest Creature in Creation - the pronunciation poem

Pronunciation Snake - pronunciation activity

External Links

If you are looking for a clear explanation, and demonstration, of the differences between sounds and their articulation check this site University of Iowa.

Free printable phonics workbook series designed for young ESL/EFL learners are available here.