What Is the Difference Between Phonology and Articulation?

When it comes to the terms "articulation" and "phonology," it's easy to get them confused, since they really do go hand in hand. However, despite their close relationship, they are individual terms with separate meanings.

In the most basic terms, phonology is the set of rules for speaking and articulation is the execution of those rules.

According to a handout created by N. Creaghead, P. Newman, and W. Secord in a piece entitled Assessment and Remediation of Articulartory and Phonological Disorders, these two separate terms are defined in distinct ways:

• Phonology "encompasses the rules of the sound system of language. These rules over-see speech sounds, including the production and combination of these sounds into intelligible speech."
• Articulation "is the correct movement of the speech producers to make intelligible speech."

Therefore, both of these terms work together to create both the rules and the actions for a proper system of speech.

Understanding the Terms

Phonology

Let's start here, since this concept is slightly less familiar to the general public. In particular, this study refers to the part of the mouth where a letter is formed. According to the rules, /g/ is produced in the back of the mouth. However, if it moves to the front of the mouth, it turns into /d/, hence transforming "good" into "dood," "gate" into "date," and "gorgeous" into "dorgeous."

To really understand what phonology and the previous example, say the word "gate." If you pay attention, you'll feel the vibrations in the back of your throat. Now say the word "date." You'll practically feel the force of the word coming through the front of your teeth.

Articulation

A phonologist would be likely to say "/g/ sounds come from the back of the mouth." An articulation specialist would be concerned with the places in the mouth involved with creating that sound.

Examples of places that help to create sounds include:

• Teeth
• Velum
• Hard palette
• Tongue
• Lips
• Larynx

Phonology tells you what you are supposed to do, and articulation covers how such movements are actually done.

Importance of Each in Speech Disorder Testing

Knowing the difference between articulation and phonology is important particularly for individuals who are going into the field of speech therapy, or for those people or those with children suffering from some sort of speech impediment.

When a person is trying to determine which type of speech disorder another individual has, it's important to know the difference. Generally, an articulation examination would be first. In these types of tests, the specialist would look at the physical structure of the body parts mentioned above. They would perform tests by having the child try to touch his/her nose with his/her tongue, or licking his/her lips and stopping where he/she started. These types of tests will assess any sorts of physical problems or abnormalities.

Once these tests are completed, specialists perform phonological tests, of which there are a vast number to test the individual's understanding of what words they should be using. Some of them involve vocabulary, for example. Of course, the exact type of test administered will have to depend somewhat upon the age of the individual and their level of English language competency.