PHONETICS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does phonetics mean? 

• PHONETICS (noun)
  The noun PHONETICS has 1 sense:

1. the branch of acoustics concerned with speech processes including its production and perception and acoustic analysis

  Familiarity information: PHONETICS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PHONETICS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The branch of acoustics concerned with speech processes including its production and perception and acoustic analysis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("phonetics" is a kind of...):

acoustics (the study of the physical properties of sound)

Domain member category:

phone; sound; speech sound ((phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language)

infection ((phonetics) the alteration of a speech sound under the influence of a neighboring sound)

assimilate (become similar in sound)

dissimilate (become dissimilar by changing the sound qualities)

shift (change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change)

long ((of speech sounds or syllables) of relatively long duration)

short (of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration)

tense (pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in 'beat'))

constricted (especially tense; especially in some dialects)

lax (pronounced with muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed (e.g., the vowel sound in 'bet'))

Derivation:

phonetic (of or relating to the scientific study of speech sounds)

phonetic (of or relating to speech sounds)

phonetician (a specialist in phonetics)