What is phonology?

Definition

        

Phonology is the study of how sounds are organized and used in natural languages.

        

The phonological system of a language includes:

¨       an inventory of sounds and their features, and

¨       rules which specify how sounds interact with each other.

        

Phonology is just one of several aspects of language. It is related to other aspects such as phonetics, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics. Here is an illustration that shows the place of phonology in an interacting hierarchy of levels in linguistics:

- Comparison: Phonology and phonetics

Phonetics	Phonology
Is the basis for phonological analysis.	Is the basis for further work in morphology, syntax, discourse, and orthography design.
Analyzes the production of all human speech sounds, regardless of language.	Analyzes the sound patterns of a particular language by determining which phonetic sounds are significant, and explaining how these sounds are interpreted by the native speaker.