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Phonetics PhonologyPhonetics and phonology are both branches of linguistics which deal with the sounds of language. The main difference is that phonetics is concerned with the physical properties of the sounds produced in language, whereas phonology is concerned with the theory and grammar behind the sounds the sounds produced in language. Phonetics can further be broken down into three subfields: articulatory phonetics, which deals with the manner of sound production, for example to shape, position and movement of speech organs when producing sound; acoustic phonetics, which deals with the acoustics of speech, such as the sound waves produced in language; and auditory phonetics, which deals with the perception, categorization, and recognition of sounds by the listener. The creation of the International Phonetic Alphabet has made it possible to accurately transcribe most of the sounds of all languages, for example vowels and consonants. The advantage of the International Phonetic Alphabet is that it is a system that can be used universally, therefore diverse language such as English, Russian, and Mandarin chinese can all be written with the same set of characters, and then read by anyone who knows the International Phonetic Alphabet even if they have no previous knowledge of English, Russian, or Mandarin chinese. The IPA can also be used in the ESL classroom as a medium to express the sounds of the English language to students who may not be familiar with them or come from linguistic backgrounds that use different sounds. Many modern English dictionaries will have the phonetic pronunciation of a word in brackets next to the main entry; this can be very useful for learners of English because there are many discrepancies between English spelling and pronunciation. Phonology is concerned with how sounds function in a language and how they encode meaning. The range of phonology is broad and at one extreme can deal with the physiology of speech and at the other extreme deal with the socio-linguistic connotations of language. For example, there is not a homogenous version of English pronunciation used by all speakers of English; many of the varieties of pronunciation that a speaker may produce will carry connotations of geographical background, social status, education and so on. By looking at the sounds a speaker produces when expressing language, a phonologist is able to describe how the output of the particular speaker interacts with the wider community of English usage. Phonology breaks the sounds of language down into phonemes. A phoneme is a unit of sound that constructs meaning, therefore if we replace it with another phoneme the meaning may be changed, for example if we change the initial consonant ?s? sound in the word ?sun? for an ?f? sound, the meaning will be changed. Phonology is also concerned with when phonemes are changed by a speaker or community of speakers and the meaning remains the same. For example, one of the characteristics of cockney English is it use of a glottal stop in some words with medial ?t? sounds, such as ?butter?, this usage is a deviant of standard pronunciation but is easily understood by the community of speakers who use the cockney English dialect. In conclusion, the advantages of phonetics and phonology in the ESL classroom are that it gives students the chance to accurately and effectively acquire the sounds of the English language and the meaning that they convey. For non-native speakers, the sounds of English may seem alien and the inconsistency between spelling and pronunciation can be a daunting barrier that can be off-putting for all but the most determined students. Using the International Phonetic Alphabet at least provides a system where characters and pronunciation are consistent.