phonetics

[fuh-net-iks, foh-]

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the science or study of speech sounds and their production, transmission, and reception, and their analysis, classification, and transcription.

2. the phonetic system or the body of phonetic facts of a particular language.

3. the symbols used to represent the speech sounds of a language.

phonetics

/ fəˈnɛtɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the science concerned with the study of speech processes, including the production, perception, and analysis of speech sounds from both an acoustic and a physiological point of view. This science, though capable of being applied to language studies, technically excludes linguistic considerations Compare phonology

Word History and Origins

Origin of phonetics¹

First recorded in 1835–45; phonetic, -ics

Example Sentences

The album first sprang to mind six years ago, when the title began as a simple game of phonetics.

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The exam comprised a series of papers on phonetics, grammar, and translation, which took 12 hours to complete.

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It is the long school vacation in Nigeria and Elizabeth Stephens' regular students - the children of Abuja's rich and famous, who she teaches diction and phonetics at expensive private schools - are on holiday.

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He said writing a song was second nature, and he “used his own version of phonetics” to quickly create songs.

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He said he used his own version of phonetics to create songs so quickly that he could write up to nine in a day.

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Related Words

• accent 
• diction 
• utterance