A minimal pair is a pair of words that differ by only one phoneme, with all other sounds being the same. This small difference in sound leads to a change in meaning, highlighting the significance of phonemes in a language. For example, the words "bat" and "pat" form a minimal pair because they differ only in the initial sounds /b/ and /p/. Minimal pairs are important in phonetics and language learning because they help illustrate how sound changes can affect meaning, aiding in the understanding and practice of pronunciation in various languages.

英語での「minimal pair」の定義と意味

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