Phonetics and phonology are areas that study the sounds we make when we speak, the phonemes.
Phonetics describes the transcription and classification of speech sounds, while phonology interprets the aspects presented in phonetics, that is, it deals with the practical aspect of the sounds we emit when we we communicate.
For some grammarians, phonetics studies phonemes in the part of grammar called phonology. Other parts of grammar are morphology and syntax, for example.
There are grammars that do not distinguish phonetics from phonology and treat the whole study by phonetics. This is the case of the New Grammar of the Portuguese Language, by Domingos Cegalla.
Phonemes
The sounds we make when we speak are called phonemes.
A word is made up of several small parts and when we pronounce it, it means that we emit each of its parts that, together, form that word.
In writing, words are made up of letters, while in speech, words are made up of phonemes.
Letter and phoneme are different. We realize this when we think of the letter x. In the following words, the letter x (written) has different phonemes (sounds):
- in caixa, x has the sound of x /c/ /a/ /i/ /x/ /a/
- in youxto, the x sounds like s /t/ /e/ /s/ /t/ /o/
- in fixo, o x sounds like cs /f/ /i/ /c/ /s/ /o/
Classification of phonemes
Phonemes are classified into vowels, semivowels and consonants.
- to the vowels are issued without obstacles
- to the glides are emitted together with a vowel
- to the consonants are issued with obstacles
This classification is made considering the way in which the phonemes are produced by the organs of the vocal tract, which include the mouth, vocal cords, nasal cavities, lungs, among others.
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet is an alphabet composed of letters and symbols that serves to represent, in written form, the pronunciation of phonemes.
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Read too:
- What are phonemes (with examples)
- Phoneme and Letter
- International Phonetic Alphabet
- Exercises about phonemes
Bibliographic references
CEGALLA, Domingos Paschoal. Brand new grammar of the Portuguese language. 48. ed. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 2010.
CUNHA, Celso; CINTRA, Lindley. New grammar of contemporary Portuguese. 2. ed. Rio de Janeiro: New Frontier, 1985.
FERNANDES, Marcia. Phonetics and Phonology: what they study.All Matter, [n.d.]. Available in: https://www.todamateria.com.br/fonetica-e-fonologia/. Access at:
See too
- Grammar
- What are phonemes (with examples)
- Phoneme and Letter
- Exercises on phonemes (with commented feedback)
- Vowel, Semivowel and Consonant
- Vocal Encounters
- Graphic accentuation
- Digraph