The Relevance of Phonology to Communication Studies

Abstract

The notion people have of the relationship between phonology and some other fields of study is that they are totally different and independent of one another. Some think that communication studies are independent of phonological studies. In fact, they may even have the notion that phonology should be restricted to the study of English and other languages. This article argues that phonology is a vital academic exercise/study for anybody in the business of communication; after all communication is done using language, and language includes phonetics and phonology. The article delves into academic library research to explicate the concepts of communication and phonology. It describes the English sound pattern with exemplifications and explores the possible problems of the second-language user of English, particularly the problem of MT-interference. In its conclusion, the article is a suggestion to communication experts and other users of English in communication to strive to attain a good accent of the language so that they can communicate accurately and internationally. It is also a suggestion to the government and other stake-holders in communication to include phonetics and phonology in the curriculum of communication studies; then the required accuracy can be achieved by our communication experts.