Chapter 2 focuses on creating deeper understanding of the relationship between the sonic or acoustic environment and soundscape. It attempts to relate the somewhat vague concept soundscape to findings from psychophysics, psychology, hearing system physiology, and auditory cognition. The term soundscape has been used by different communities of practice (e.g., acousticians, composers, architects, ecologists, and psychologists), giving rise to several definitions (see Chapter 1). A standardized definition may not be required, but it is useful to summarize generally accepted views on this concept:

• The soundscape is evoked by the physical sound environmenthenceforth called the sonic environment-but it is not equal to it, and therefore cannot be measured using classical sound measurement equipment alone.