Definition: Phonetics is the study of human speech sounds.

Branches:

Phonetics is divided into three branches:

• Articulatory phonetics: The study of how speech sounds are produced by the human vocal apparatus.

• Acoustic phonetics: The study of the sound waves made by the human vocal organs for communication.

• Auditory phonetics: The study of how speech sounds are perceived by the ear, auditory nerve, and brain.