Phonology

It can be compared to phonetics, which is the study of human speech in general, and includes the articulation and perception of sounds. 

Example
Phonology aims to describe the sounds (phonemes) that are distinctive in a language. This can be done by identifying minimal pairs such as 'tin' and 'bin'.

In the classroom
Phonological areas looked at in language teaching include phonemes, intonation, stress, accent and features of connected speech such as elision, intrusion and catenation.

See also:

• Phonemes
• Phonemic chart for English teachers
• Phonemic script
• Phonemic symbols
• Phonetics

Related articles:

• Connected speech – part 1
• Connected speech – part 2
• Evaluating speaking – part 1
• Global English – teaching pronunciation
• Pronunciation – the poor relation?
• Pros and cons of using phonemic chart
• Rhythm
• Speech and language impairment
• Teaching the schwa
• Young learners and the phonemic chart