Teaching Phonetics to Speech Clinicians and Audiologists According to the Theory of Phonology as Human Behavior

Language is defined in terms of its function as a system of communication that ecologically reflects the characteristics of its users -- human beings. One of the aspects of the theory of PHB that separates it from other phonological theories is its recognition of the interdependence of the abstract phonological system of langue and the concrete distribution of sounds in parole . This integral connection between phonetics and phonology is supported by a theoretical and methodological model based on phonemes versus allophones which are defined as linguistic units containing various features which systematically link them together according to their communicative function and reflect the characteristics of human perception, cognition and behavior relevant to their exploitation. This integral connection between phonetics and phonology further implies an isomorphic and holistic search for basic principles that can account not only for the sounds of language, but for all aspects of language as well, based on the interaction between the communication and human factors. Therefore it is not surprising that the same principles underlying PHB can be integrated into the analyzing of sounds of language per se : i.e. viewing articulatory, acoustic and distributional phonetics from the point of view of human behavior.