"In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of phone that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language."
The basic unit of sound in a language that distinguishes meaning.
Speech Sounds: This topic covers the basic sounds used in human speech such as vowels, consonants, and their features (e.g. place and manner of articulation).
Phonemic Awareness: This refers to the ability to recognize and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in words, which is a crucial skill for learning to read and write.
Allophones: These are variations in the pronunciation of a phoneme that do not change its meaning. They often occur due to the influence of neighboring sounds or the position of the sound within a word.
Phonemic Inventory: This is a list of all the distinct phonemes that are used in a particular language or dialect.
Phonotactics: This refers to the rules governing the permissible sequences of sounds in a language or dialect.
Suprasegmentals: These are features of speech that extend across segments, including stress, intonation, and timing.
Minimal Pairs: These are pairs of words that differ in meaning only by one sound (i.e. phoneme), which is used to demonstrate the contrastive function of different phonemes.
Phonemic Transcription: This is a system of symbols used to represent the sounds of a language, typically using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Phonological Processes: These are the systematic ways in which sounds in a language are modified or combined to form words, such as assimilation, deletion, and insertion.
Accent and Dialect: These refer to regional, cultural, or social variations in the pronunciation of a language, which can affect the phonological system and phoneme inventory.
Historical Phonology: This is the study of how phonological systems change over time, including the evolution of phonemes and their distribution in different languages.
Psycholinguistics: This is the study of how language is processed in the brain, including the perception and production of speech sounds and the role of phonology in language acquisition and use.
Vowels: Vowels are sounds made by opening the vocal tract, allowing free passage of air. They can be short or long, and are produced without obstruction of the sound.
Consonants: Consonants are sounds made by restricting or obstructing the airflow in some way. They can be voiced or voiceless, and can be produced with or without vibration of the vocal cords.
Diphthongs: Diphthongs are combinations of two vowel sounds pronounced together in one syllable. They are made up of a starting sound that moves smoothly into a second, different sound.
Plosives: Plosives are a type of consonant sound that is made by closing the vocal tract completely and then releasing it quickly. They are also called "stops" because they stop or block the flow of air.
Fricatives: Fricatives are a type of consonant sound that is made by forcing air through a narrow space in the vocal tract, causing friction or a hissing sound. Examples include the "f" and "s" sounds.
Nasals: Nasals are a type of consonant sound that is made by allowing air to flow through the nasal cavity while the mouth is closed. Examples include the "m" and "n" sounds.
Affricates: Affricates are a type of consonant sound that is made by combining a plosive sound with a fricative sound. It occurs when the air is stopped, then slowly released through a narrow opening with friction. Examples include the "ch" and "j" sounds.
Approximants: Approximants are a type of consonant sound that is made by allowing air to flow freely through the vocal tract, without any significant constriction or closure. Examples include the "w" and "y" sounds.
Lateral consonants: Lateral consonants are a type of consonant sound that is made by allowing air to flow laterally through the mouth, with the tongue raised at the sides. The most commonly used lateral in English is "l.".
Glides: Glides are a type of consonant sound that is made by smoothly transitioning from one vowel sound to another vowel sound. English glides include "w" and "y.".
"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."