What is the difference between phonetic and phonemic?

Phonetic and phonemic are two terms related to the study of speech sounds, or phonology, within the field of linguistics.

Phonetic pertains to the actual sounds of speech. It's a detailed description of what and how sounds are physically formed in the human vocal tract, including all the variations that can occur. It's about the production, acoustics, and perception of these sounds, regardless of language. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is used to transcribe these sounds precisely as they are spoken.

Phonemic, on the other hand, refers to the abstract system of sounds or the smallest units of sound that can distinguish meaning in a language, known as phonemes. Phonemic transcription focuses on the way speakers of a language perceive sounds and how those sounds can change the meaning of words. It’s not concerned with the exact pronunciation but with the representative sounds that are recognized by native speakers as being distinct from each other.

In summary, "phonetic" is about the detailed and concrete production of sounds, capturing all their nuances, while "phonemic" deals with the abstract and functional aspects of sound in a specific language context, focusing on their role in distinguishing meaning.