Topic-011: Introduction to Phonology Phonology is the study of the sounds of a particular language (e.g., English. In phonology, it matters whether sounds are contrastive or not, that is, whether substituting one sound for another gives a different, or "contrastive," meaning. For example in English, rand l are two different sounds - and the words "road" and "load" differ according to which of these sounds is used. Similarly, phonologists describe the contrastive consonants and vowels in a sound system (language. They are also interested in syllables, phrases, rhythm, tone, and intonation of a specific language.