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Phoneme
01
the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning, often represented by a specific symbol in phonetic notation
What is a "phoneme"?
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning. It is a basic building block of speech and can be a single sound or a group of sounds that represent a specific letter or combination of letters. For example, in English, the words "bat" and "pat" differ by one phoneme, the initial sounds /b/ and /p/. Phonemes are important in phonetics and linguistics because they help define the sounds used in a language, contributing to pronunciation and the overall structure of words.
Example
Phonemes are abstract units that are realized as various allophones in different phonetic contexts.
In linguistics, a phoneme is the smallest distinctive sound unit in a language that can change the meaning of a word.
Identifying phonemes is crucial for understanding the sound system of a language and its phonological rules.
The study of phonemes and their distribution helps linguists analyze speech sounds and patterns across languages.
In phonetics, an allophone is a variant form of a phoneme, which occurs in specific phonetic environments.
