Phonetics/Introduction

Phonetics is concerned with the sounds produced by human language. Unlike phonology, phonetics studies the sounds themselves, rather than the patterning of sounds in each language. We shall define here the scope of phonetics, defined by the three branches and six levels.

Three branches of phonetics
Phonetics is usually said to have three dimensions. Each of them are concerned with one particular property of sound:

The three branches are interrelated, as we will soon see in this book. The introductory section will cover the basics of all three. We will then dive into the details of each type of sound and how they are articulated, are perceived and exist physically.

Six levels of phonetic organisation
Speech sounds are arranged in six levels (Laver 1994), each of which are described below.

In the book, we will first deal with the segmental level of sound, looking at individual phones, their features their properties. We will then rise above the segmental level and look at the suprasegmental aspects of sound, such as tone, intonation, rhythm, and so on.