Phonology studies speech sounds and patterns in language, using syllables, vowels, and consonants. Phonemes convey meaning and differ from morphemes and graphemes. Phonology uses symbols to differentiate vowel sounds and detect lip position and vowel length.
Phonology is the study of the sounds and patterns of speech in language. The root “telephone” in phonology refers to sounds and comes from the Greek word phoneme which means sound. Phonology seeks to discern the sounds produced in all human languages. Identifying the universal and non-universal qualities of sounds is a crucial component in phonology as all languages use syllables and forms of vowels and consonants.
Syllables are involved in the tenses of spoken language as pronouncing each word takes a portion of the time. Syllables are units of measurement in language. Vowels allow air to escape from the mouth and unblocked nose, while consonants create more coverage of the vocal tract by the tongue. The friction heard which is a consonant is made by the air that cannot escape as the mouth emits the consonant.
Phonemes are units of sound in a language that convey meaning. For example, changing one syllable in a word will change its meaning, such as changing the “a” in “mad” to an “o” to produce “mod.” A phoneme can also have no meaning by creating non-existent words, for example by changing the “m” to “mad” or “mod” to a “j” to produce “jad” or “jod”. Phonemes differ from morphemes and graphemes. A morpheme refers to the main grammatical units, while a grapheme is the main unit of written language.
Ensuring that the correct pronunciation is used in a language is a practical application of phonology. For example, phonology uses symbols to differentiate the sounds of a particular vowel. Vowels are classified into “front”, “middle” and “back” depending on the positioning of the jaw and tongue when the vowel sounds are made. Phonology also detects the position of the lips, such as whether the lips are pursed or rounded, and whether the vowel sound is long or short.
The symbol for the vowel sound in words like “cold” or “tin” in phonology is /i/ and refers to a short, front vowel pronounced with the tongue raised and the lips parted. In contrast, the vowel sound symbol in words like “moon” or “blue” in phonology is /u:/ and refers to a long back vowel pronounced with the tongue still raised, but with the lips rounded.
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