phonetics

Phonetics (pronounced /fəˈnɛtɪks/, from the Greek:φωνή, phōnē, 'sound, voice') is a branch oflinguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign.[1] It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs (phones): their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory perception, and neurophysiological status. Phonology, on the other hand, is concerned with the abstract, grammatical characterization of systems of sounds or signs.The field of phonetics is a multilayered subject oflinguistics that focuses on speech. In the case of oral languages there are three basic areas of study:Articulatory phonetics: the study of the production of speech sounds by the articulatory and vocal tract by the speakerAcoustic phonetics: the study of the physical transmission of speech sounds from the speaker to the listenerAuditory phonetics: the study of the reception and perception of speech sounds by the listenerThese areas are inter-connected through the common mechanism of sound, such as wavelength (pitch), amplitude, and harmonics.

History
Phonetics was studied as early as 500 BC in theIndian subcontinent, with Pāṇini's account of theplace and manner of articulation of consonants in his 5th century BC treatise on Sanskrit. The majorIndic alphabets today order their consonants according to Pāṇini's classification. The Phoeniciansare credited as the first to create a phonetic writing system, from which all major modern phonetic alphabets are now derived.[2]Modern phonetics begins with attempts — such as those of Joshua Steele (in Prosodia Rationalis, 1779) and Alexander Melville Bell (in Visible Speech, 1867) — to introduce systems of precise notation for speech sounds.[3][4]