"In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of phone that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language."
The smallest unit of sound in a language that can be used to distinguish meaning between two words.
Phonetics: The study of the sounds used in spoken language.
Phonology: The study of the sound patterns used in spoken language and their relationships.
Articulatory Phonetics: The study of how sounds are produced by the articulatory organs such as the tongue, lips, and vocal cords.
Acoustic Phonetics: The study of how sounds are transmitted and perceived through the air.
Auditory Phonetics: The study of the perception and processing of speech sounds by the brain.
Intonation: The pitch patterns used in spoken language to convey meaning and emphasis.
Stress: The variation in loudness, pitch, or duration of a syllable that conveys information about word meaning or emphasis.
Vowels: The sounds made with an open vocal tract, usually produced by the resonance of air in the mouth.
Consonants: The sounds made by obstructing or partially obstructing the airflow, usually with the lips, tongue, or teeth.
Phonemic Inventory: The types of sounds used in a particular language, and how they are perceived and produced.
Allophones: Different variations of a phoneme that are used depending on the position of the sound in a word or syllable.
Minimal Pairs: Two words that differ by only one sound, used to demonstrate the importance of phonemic distinctions in a language.
Phonetic Transcription: The system of representing speech sounds with symbols in order to study and analyze them.
Speech Perception: The process by which the brain recognizes and interprets speech sounds based on their acoustic properties.
Speech Production: The process by which individuals create speech sounds through the coordination of the articulatory organs, respiratory system, and vocal cords.
Vowels: Vowels are phonemes produced with an open vocal tract and no obstruction of the airflow. They are the most sonorous sounds in a language, and they can be sustained for a longer duration than consonants. Vowels are classified based on their tongue height, tongue position, lip rounding, and length.
Consonants: Consonants are phonemes produced with partial or complete obstruction of the airflow. They are generally less sonorous than vowels, and they provide contrasts in a language's sound system. Consonants are classified based on their manner of articulation, place of articulation, and voicing.
Stops: Stops are consonants produced by a complete obstruction of the airflow in the oral cavity. They are also called plosives because they create a sudden burst of air when released. Examples of stops are /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/.
Fricatives: Fricatives are consonants produced by a partial obstruction of the airflow in the oral cavity, creating a turbulent sound. Fricatives can be voiceless or voiced, and examples of fricatives are /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/.
Affricates: Affricates are consonants produced by a combination of a stop and a fricative. They start with a complete obstruction of the airflow and release it slowly with a fricative sound. Examples of affricates in English are /tʃ/ (e.g., "church") and /dʒ/ (e.g., "judge").
Nasals: Nasals are consonants produced by lowering the velum to allow air to flow through the nasal cavity. Examples of nasals in English are /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/.
Liquids: Liquids are consonants produced by forming a partial obstruction of the airflow with the tongue. There are two types of liquids: /r/ and /l/.
Glides: Glides are consonants produced with a rapid transition between two vowels, and they are also called semivowels. Examples of glides are /j/ (e.g., "yes") and /w/ (e.g., "we").
"For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-west of England, the sound patterns (sin) and (sing) are two separate words that are distinguished by the substitution of one phoneme, /n/, for another phoneme, /ŋ/."
"Two words like this that differ in meaning through the contrast of a single phoneme form a minimal pair."
"Phonemes that are established by the use of minimal pairs, such as tap vs tab or pat vs bat, are written between slashes: /p/, /b/."
"To show pronunciation, linguists use square brackets: [pʰ] (indicating an aspirated p in pat)."
"A phoneme is generally regarded as an abstraction of a set (or equivalence class) of speech sounds (phones) that are perceived as equivalent to each other in a given language."
"Speech sounds that differ but do not create a meaningful change in the word are known as allophones of the same phoneme."
"Allophonic variation may be conditioned, in which case a certain phoneme is realized as a certain allophone in particular phonological environments, or it may otherwise be free, and may vary by speaker or by dialect."
"Therefore, phonemes are often considered to constitute an abstract underlying representation for segments of words."
"Speech sounds make up the corresponding phonetic realization, or the surface form."
"For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-west of England, the sound patterns (sin) and (sing) are two separate words that are distinguished by the substitution of one phoneme, /n/, for another phoneme, /ŋ/."
"However, a phoneme is generally regarded as an abstraction of a set (or equivalence class) of speech sounds (phones) that are perceived as equivalent to each other in a given language."
"Two words like this that differ in meaning through the contrast of a single phoneme form a minimal pair."
"Phonemes that are established by the use of minimal pairs, such as tap vs tab or pat vs bat, are written between slashes: /p/, /b/."
"To show pronunciation, linguists use square brackets: [pʰ] (indicating an aspirated p in pat)."
"Speech sounds that differ but do not create a meaningful change in the word are known as allophones of the same phoneme."
"Allophonic variation may be conditioned, in which case a certain phoneme is realized as a certain allophone in particular phonological environments."
"Allophonic variation may otherwise be free, and may vary by speaker or by dialect."
"Therefore, phonemes are often considered to constitute an abstract underlying representation for segments of words."
"Speech sounds make up the corresponding phonetic realization, or the surface form."