Speech can be measured as physical events. Phonetics is the study of how speech sounds are produced, transmitted, and perceived, grounded in anatomy, acoustics, and audition.
Articulatory phonetics describes the movements of the tongue, lips, and larynx. Acoustic phonetics analyzes frequency, intensity, and duration. Auditory phonetics investigates how the ear and brain process speech. The International Phonetic Alphabet provides a shared notation for capturing fine detail.
Phonetics supports clinical work, language teaching, forensic analysis, and speech technology. It supplies the empirical base on which phonology builds more abstract sound patterns. Laboratory tools—from spectrograms to ultrasound tongue imaging—have transformed the precision of modern phonetic research.
- Study of the physical aspects of speech sounds
- Includes articulatory, acoustic, and auditory branches
- Uses IPA for detailed transcription
- Underpins clinical, technological, and linguistic applications
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