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Phonetics.

Human language is physiologically based---it is produced by making sounds in the `vocal tract' (or by visual signing as in ASL). We are primarily interested in ARTICULATORY phonetics, i.e. a representation of the sounds that the human vocal apparatus is capable of producing. There also exists a field known as ACOUSTIC phonetics, which is interested in the physical measurement by electronic equipment etc. of the sounds as HEARD, not as spoken. The articulatory phonetician relies on his/her ears and secondarily on visual or other observations. The acoustic phonetician relies on h. physical equipment and is not primarily interested in what movements a speaker makes with h. articulatory equipment.





Harold Schiffman
Fri Jan 17 09:48:04 EST 1997