Who are individuals that study linguistic sounds called?

Individuals who study linguistic sounds are referred to as phoneticians. Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that focuses specifically on the physical properties of speech sounds, including their articulation, acoustic properties, and auditory perception. Phoneticians engage in detailed descriptions and analyses of how sounds are produced and perceived, and they may also study sound systems across different languages.

Phonologists, on the other hand, primarily work with the abstract, cognitive aspects of sounds and their functions within particular languages, focusing on how sounds function in particular linguistic contexts rather than the physical properties of the sounds themselves. Linguists is a broader term that encompasses all aspects of language study, including syntax, semantics, and phonology, but does not specifically refer to the study of sounds. While both phonologists and linguists may deal with sounds at times, it is phoneticians who are specially trained to study the particulars of sound production and perception in language.