What is a phoneme?

What is a phoneme?

• A. The smallest unit of meaning.
• B. A feature of morphological structure.
• C. The smallest unit of sound.
• D. A type of syllable.

Answer: (C)

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can change meaning in a language. In English, the sounds /p/ and /b/ distinguish words like "pat" and "bat"—switching that sound changes the word’s meaning. Phonemes are abstract sound categories; the same phoneme can be realized as slightly different sounds in different contexts (allophones) without changing meaning. They’re not the same as letters or syllables: a letter is a written symbol that may represent one or more phonemes, and a syllable is a larger unit that contains one or more phonemes. Understanding phonemes helps with decoding and pronunciation by focusing on the distinct sounds that create differences in meaning.

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can change meaning in a language. In English, the sounds /p/ and /b/ distinguish words like "pat" and "bat"—switching that sound changes the word’s meaning. Phonemes are abstract sound categories; the same phoneme can be realized as slightly different sounds in different contexts (allophones) without changing meaning. They’re not the same as letters or syllables: a letter is a written symbol that may represent one or more phonemes, and a syllable is a larger unit that contains one or more phonemes. Understanding phonemes helps with decoding and pronunciation by focusing on the distinct sounds that create differences in meaning.