Key Differences between Phonetics and Phonology

 

Key Differences between Phonetics and Phonology

Aspect	Phonetics	Phonology
Definition	The study of speech sounds and how they are physically produced, transmitted, and heard.	The study of how sounds function and pattern in a particular language or across languages.
Focus	Sound as a physical phenomenon (articulation, acoustics, perception).	Sound as a mental system of rules and patterns.
Unit of Study	Phones (actual sounds).	Phonemes (distinctive sound units).
Example Question	How is the sound /p/ produced in the mouth?	Why does English distinguish /p/ and /b/ in “pat” vs “bat”?
Method	Uses tools like spectrograms, acoustic analysis, and articulatory description.	Uses abstract representations, minimal pairs, and rule analysis.
Type of Analysis	Concrete and measurable.	Abstract and language-specific.
Branch Types	Articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics.	Segmental (phonemes) and suprasegmental (stress, intonation) phonology.