1. Language

Language Is the use of conventional sounds which they combine according to certain rules into an establish system, in order to understand each other.

The message transmitted takes a substantial form. In the case of spoken the substance is the phonic, in the case of whiten is graphic

 2. Learning a foreigner language

 A language is a set of habits, so learning language consist of learning a new set of habits. These habits involved the so called organs of speech which produce speech sounds. Pronunciation habits differ from one language to another. Some habits can be similar to another language but never the same.

3.Phonetics and phonology

The elements of any language are

1.  Individual sounds

2.  Words

3.  Sentences

The study of sound structure is divided into 2 branches:

Phonology: it has to do with the function of the sound. It's particular. It deals with the sound and contrasts between the sounds within a context.

Phonetics has to do with the production, transmition and perception of speech sounds. It's general, descriptive and classificatory.

4. The speech act and the branches of phonetics

The speech act consists of the production of speech sounds. It is initiated as a response to a need to communicate verbally. In the speech activity implies the presence of two people the speaker A and the listener. A sends a message to B. A´s message consist on speech sounds and a pattern familiar to both. So B is able to decode it.

The activities involved are:

1.        Psychological: the nervous system transmit the message to the organs of the speech

2.        Physiological or articulatory: involves the movements of our organs of speech

3.        Physical or acoustic: deals with the disturbances of the air

There are three branches of phonetic

Articulatory: studies the production of speech sounds

Auditory: studies the perception of speech sound

Acoustic: studies the speech sound as a physical even.

5. Segmentation

 It deals with the possibility of dividing words into smaller segments

6. IPA and system of transcription

 In 1888 L´Association Phonetic International was formed. Its objectives was the creation of an alphabet which would have a distinctive symbol for every sound in human speech. So the International Phonetic Alphabet was devised. As phonetic knowledge increased the alphabet was expanded. In English is essential to use a system of written symbols, because English is not a phonetic language.

For the purpose of accuracy in phonetic detail, phonetician have developed systems of transcriptions which are

Narrow or phonetic or allophonic: it makes use of allophones, which belong to phonetics field. Here details are taken account, and the symbols are enclosed btw brackets

Broad transcription or phonemic or phonological: it makes use of phonemes which belong to the field of phonology. Details are not taken account and the symbols are enclosed btw slant bars