The study of how speech sounds are produced, used and distinguished in a language is called what?

• A. Phonology
• B. Morphology
• C. Syntax
• D. Semantics

Answer: (A)

Phonology is the study of how sounds function within a language—the system of sound units (phonemes), how they contrast to distinguish meaning, and the rules that govern their distribution and combination. This explains why certain sounds create differences between words (like /p/ in "pat" vs /b/ in "bat") and how sounds can vary in different contexts without changing meaning (allophones). If you were focusing on the physical production or acoustic properties of the sounds themselves, that would be phonetics; phonology abstracts away from those details to look at the sound system and patterns that shape a language.