Phonology and Phonetics

Phonology is the study of the sound systems of language — how sounds are organised, patterned, and used to create meaning. It is distinct from phonetics, which is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds (how they are produced, transmitted, and perceived). At A-Level, you need to understand both, but phonology — the way sound patterns function within language — is the primary focus for textual analysis.

---

Phonemes and Allophones

The most fundamental unit of phonological analysis is the phoneme — the smallest unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a given language.

Key Definition: Phoneme — the smallest unit of sound in a language that can change the meaning of a word. For example, changing the initial phoneme in "bat" from /b/ to /k/ produces "cat" — a completely different word.

English has approximately 44 phonemes (the exact number varies slightly depending on accent and the system of classification used), comprising roughly 24 consonants and 20 vowels (including diphthongs).