Which aspect of phonetics involves the study of how sound travels?

The focus of acoustic phonetics is on the physical properties of sound waves produced during speech. This branch of phonetics examines the frequency, amplitude, and duration of sounds, providing insight into how sound travels through the air and interacts with various mediums. It addresses the characteristics of sound waves, such as their waveforms and the physical phenomena of sound transmission, making it essential for understanding the nature of sound in communication.

Articulatory phonetics, while crucial, pertains to how sounds are produced by the movements of speech organs rather than their travel characteristics. Auditory phonetics focuses on how sounds are perceived by the ear and processed by the brain, dealing with the listener's experience of sound rather than the properties of the sound itself. Phonological phonetics is more concerned with the abstract, systematic organization of sounds in a particular language, emphasizing their functional aspects over their physical properties.