What is the difference between phonemic and phonetic?

Definitions

phonemic

- Describing the sound system of a language.

- Referring to the smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word in a language.

- Talking about the abstract representation of sounds in a language.

phonetic

- Describing the physical production and perception of speech sounds.

- Referring to the study of speech sounds and their physical properties.

- Talking about the concrete representation of sounds in a language.

List of Similarities

• 1. Both words are related to the study of speech sounds.
• 2. Both words use symbols to represent sounds in a language.
• 3. Both words are used in linguistics and language teaching.
• 4. Both words are important for understanding the sounds of a language.
• 5. Both words are used to describe aspects of speech production and perception.

What is the difference?

• 1. Focus: Phonemic focuses on the abstract representation of sounds, while phonetic focuses on the physical production and perception of sounds.
• 2. Unit of analysis: Phonemic deals with phonemes, the smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word, while phonetic deals with phones, the physical sounds produced in speech.
• 3. Purpose: Phonemic is used to analyze the sound system of a language, while phonetic is used to describe the actual sounds produced in speech.
• 4. Application: Phonemic is more commonly used in language teaching and linguistic analysis, while phonetic is more commonly used in speech therapy and language pathology.
• 5. Representation: Phonemic uses abstract symbols to represent sounds, while phonetic uses concrete symbols to represent sounds.

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Remember this!

Phonemic and phonetic are both related to the study of speech sounds, but they have different focuses and units of analysis. Phonemic deals with the abstract representation of sounds in a language, focusing on phonemes, while phonetic deals with the physical production and perception of sounds, focusing on phones. While phonemic is more commonly used in language teaching and linguistic analysis, phonetic is more commonly used in speech therapy and language pathology.