Today, I have been thinking a lot on the subject paper I have answered few hours ago for final examination which is ENGL 2040 Phonetics and Phonology. I have been struggling since the introduction to linguistics to understand the basic of phonetics study in which, I concluded as I have reached this phase, very beautiful, easy and very practicable.
For a starter, I am not a student equipped with a foundation in phonetics knowledge. I am directly immersed in this artistic field from an opposite scientific field which is engineering. Hence, why I am struggling in the first place. But that's only in the beginning and later as I progress, it's more and less like calculus with symbols and all, application and a lil bit of basis from other fields.
To understand phonetics, we have to understand the very basic of explanation on how do human produce speech sounds (Articulacy Phonetics), how sounds travel through air and passing sound waves (Acoustic Phonetics) and lastly, how human hear and perceive speech sounds (Auditory Phonetics). Each part of these phonetics study incorporate both biological knowledge and physics concepts.
Yes, to break the stereotype of English studies equal to grammar, or arts as in poetry or drama, this could be an eye opener to other people who don't understand the major studies in English Language and Literature.
Through understanding the anatomy of speech and human speech mechanism (respiratory, phonatory and articulatory systems), the study explains how human create various speech sounds such as /p/, /b/, /u/, /k/, and other sounds as well.
Later, speech sounds produce from the human articulatory system travel as sound waves. Now, physics takes charge! Relatively, we can listen to pitch, intensity of voice, or emphasise stress on any words (prosody!). Through the deeper analysis in acoustic phonetics, each of these items can be analysed and describe to produce physical properties such as frequency, amplitude, intensity and others things that explain sound waves as well.
Lastly, sound waves that travel in the air hits the eardrum of hearer, creating vibration within the muscles and wires (not literally!) of the ear membrane which later creates electric signal passes to the brain. Our magical brain, later, translate, transcribe and understand the signals as words that are understandable in our vocabulary registers.
Back to understanding the study of phonetics, now we all know, to understand phonetics, it takes a lot of different fields of knowledge to create a sophisticated and clear distinguished set of symbols which the International Phonetics Association called as the International Phonetics Alphabets (IPA). The alphabets (or symbols) chart consists of various sounds that exist (or doable) in this world, mostly existed in many languages while some are exclusive to one language, or another way around.
Later, the study of phonetics benefits its sister study which is phonology. Phonology explains how these sounds are used in languages, more of an application in context. Because we all know, each region or social strata may have their own the way of speaking and the ways of pronouncing (accents).
Deeper study enables us to distinguished the differences between American English, British English, Australian English and other Englishes. Not to forget, the exclusive Received Pronunciation (RP) which is also known as Queen's English or BBC English. Now, that's sociolinguistics. The study of phonology also helps in transcribing prosodic features that may explain how intonation, higher pitch, stressed syllable and emphasise stress on words give different meanings.
Many may find that this study is just a hassle but little they know that its application is important in various fields. Phonetics and phonology can be used in forensic field (Forensic Linguistics), and clinical application such as speech-language pathology (Clinical Linguistics). While the analysing skills benefit other branches of linguistics such as stylistics and sociolinguistics.
The study of phonetics and phonology takes the smallest unit of sound as the major principle that governs words, sentences, and meanings. But that's not all. We as human could not define major items or anything at a surface level without understanding the tiny bits of anything from the ground. To understand and apply are what we are into.
But imagine other studies that enable duplication such as biology. Many attempts have been done to duplicate or create perfect clones of human or other living things which end as failures. The ability to create a complex compound that lives with perfect systems assisted with 'ilm and 'aql is exclusive, but to whom?
This returns us back to how we are created, how everything in this world was created back then in complex ways but livable. All is made possible because He is the best creator. As mentioned in Quran [23:14]
Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create!It is His exclusiveness that creates perfect simple beings through careful complexity bounded with reasons. The smallest act of studying knowledge creates ideas and application. With reasons, it gives purposes to society and ummah as a whole.
That is not all of it but I believe in both small and big things in this world. Minor implication can give major impact to the whole existing system in this world. That's phonetics and phonology for you.
p/s: Thanks to my dearest lecturer, Dr. Zurahani Abdul Rahim for giving endless efforts in helping us to understand the subject.
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