From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Phonetics (pronounced /fəˈnɛtɪks/ , from the Greek: φωνή, phōnē, 'sound, voice') is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages —the equivalent aspects of sign.honology, on the other hand, is concerned with the abstract, grammatical characterization of systems of sounds or signs. The field of phonetics is a multilayered subject of linguistics that focuses on speech.