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

Related Words

• accent 
• diction 
• utterance