Assignment 1

Group members
- Khaing Zay Shune Lei
- K Zin Thwel
- Hsu Thet Hnin Phyu
- Nan Laypyay Oo

Briefly explain phonetics and phonology. Discuss why these are connected to
other fields.

The scientific name for our species is Homo sapiens, meaning 'thinking
human,' but some argue that Homo loquens, or 'speaking human,' would be a
more fitting name. While many species have communication systems based on
sounds, humans have a unique ability to produce a wide range of sounds due to
the structure of our vocal organs. The field of linguistics has two subdisciplines,
namely phonetics and phonology, which deal with the study of sound.

Phonetics focuses on objectively describing and analyzing the sounds used

in human languages. It involves articulatory phonetics, which identifies the
specific speech organs and muscles involved in producing sounds, as well as
acoustic and auditory phonetics, which study the physics of speech as it travels
through the air as sound waves and how these waves are perceived by the ears
and brain. Phoneticians need to know the anatomy and functions of the
articulators in speech production. Therefore, phonetics is closely related to
anatomy, physiology, physics, and neurology.

However, human beings don't use the full range of possible sounds in their
languages. Each person grows up learning and speaking a particular language or
languages, and each language utilizes only a subset of available sounds. This is
where phonology comes into play. Phonology deals with the language-specific
selection and organization of sounds to convey meanings. Phonologists study the
sound patterns of specific languages and what speakers and listeners need to
know and learn to be proficient in those languages. It has connections with
psychology as it explores the mental aspects of language. In psycholinguistics,
phonetics and phonology provide insights into how speech sounds are processed
and perceived by the human mind. Researchers investigate how phonetic and
phonological factors influence language comprehension, production, and
acquisition

Our knowledge of phonology is often subconscious, and we may have

intuitions about language without being able to explain them in detail. However,
this knowledge exists and can be observed in linguistic phenomena. For example,
English speakers would agree that "snil" is a possible but non-existent word, while
"fnil" is not possible according to the rules of the English sound system. However,
individuals may not be consciously aware of these rules but can intuitively
determine what sounds right or wrong. The role of the phonologist is to express
these generalizations precisely and understand the unconscious knowledge
underlying them.

The parallels between language and mobility (such as crawling, walking,

and running downstairs) are striking. Both emerge in developing children through
a combination of mental and physical maturation, internal abilities, and external
input. As we become proficient in language, it becomes automatic and fluent, and
we are only dimly aware of the complexity involved unless we encounter errors or
observe children struggling with speech. Phonologists, like anatomists and
physiologists, aim to help us understand the underlying complexity of language
and describe what we know in a particular domain, even if we are not consciously
aware of it.

In summary the fields of phonetics and phonology help us understand the

sounds we produce and the language-specific patterns of sounds. Phonetics
focuses on the objective description of sounds, while phonology examines the
organization of sounds in specific languages. Thus, phonetics and phonology are
interconnected and they are also connected to many more fields such as
anatomy, physiology, physics, neurology and psychology.