Phonetics and Speech Science

Phonetics is the science explaining what happens as people talk -- that is to say, what happens as we produce the sounds of speech. Speech is a functional part of language, as language is most commonly used in human interaction. Language, in an abstract sense, is something common to all neurotypical humans. This abstract sense of “language” contrasts with specific languages, each one unique. The level of phonetic analysis of language is separate from, but overlapping with, phonology. Phonology focuses more on contrasts, whereas phonetics focuses more on differences. Phonetic variables can be used at very different levels of the grammar in different languages. Traunmüller distinguishes four types of information in speech: phonetic (linguistic), affective, personal, and transmittal. Dialect, register, and the hyperspeech--hypospeech continuum affect specific aspects of phonetic production in a given language. The science of phonetics uses terminology often consisting of ordinary words whose meanings are frequently different from the technical sense.