Phonetics is best defined as the study of what aspect of language?

Phonetics is primarily concerned with the sounds of human speech. This involves the physical properties of sounds, such as their production (articulatory phonetics), transmission (acoustic phonetics), and perception (auditory phonetics). Phonetics explores how these sounds are articulated using the vocal tract and how they can be classified and described in terms of their properties, such as pitch, loudness, and duration.

The choice that defines phonetics aligns perfectly with this understanding by emphasizing the sounds that are employed by language. This encompasses all aspects of sound, from how they are produced to their characteristics, which is essential for studying spoken language and understanding how different languages utilize various sound systems. Thus, this definition encompasses the comprehensive study of language sounds.