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Q12 U2

Phonemes are the smallest sound units in a language that can distinguish meaning, such as /b/ in 'bit' and /p/ in 'pit'. They are abstract, contrastive, and language-specific, with different languages having unique phoneme inventories. Minimal pairs demonstrate phonemes' impact on meaning, while allophones are variations of phonemes that do not alter meaning.

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5 views

Q12 U2

Phonemes are the smallest sound units in a language that can distinguish meaning, such as /b/ in 'bit' and /p/ in 'pit'. They are abstract, contrastive, and language-specific, with different languages having unique phoneme inventories. Minimal pairs demonstrate phonemes' impact on meaning, while allophones are variations of phonemes that do not alter meaning.

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bubii260509
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Presentation Script: "What Are Phonemes?

"
 Define what phonemes are,
 Identify their key characteristics
1. What Is a Phoneme? (Definition and Characteristics)
Definition:
- A phoneme is an abstract minimal sound unit of a particular language, which is capable of
distinguishing different words in that language.
Example:
 The words "bit" and "pit" are different because of the first sound: /b/ vs. /p/.
 This means that /b/ and /p/ are distinct phonemes in English.
- Phonemes are not the same as letters. They are sounds, not written symbols. A single letter can
represent different sounds.
Example:
 The letter "c" in cat (/k/) vs. ceiling (/s/).
- Phonemes are meaningless in isolation and take on meaning only when combined in certain
ways.
- If you replace one phoneme with another in a particular word, you may get a different word
which no longer means the same.
- And we will learn about phonology, which is includes the phonemes (basic sounds) and the
discrete suprasegmental elements (stress patterns, tones, intonation) in the language. The
phonological component also contains rules that regulate how phonemes can be combined in
morphemes and words.
Characteristics:
- Phonemes are contrastive
o They distinguish one word from another.
o Example: /t/ vs. /d/ in ten vs. den.
- Phonemes are abstract
o The way a phoneme is pronounced can vary, but it still represents the same
phoneme.
o Example: The "t" sound in top vs. stop (slightly different but still /t/).
- Phonemes combine to form words, and words combine to form sentences.
- Phonemes are language-specific
o Different languages have different phoneme inventories.
o Example: English distinguishes /r/ and /l/ (e.g., "right" vs. "light"), but Japanese
does not.

2. Minimal Pairs – Proving the Existence of Phonemes


- A minimal pair is a pair of words that differ by only one phoneme, showing that the phoneme
affects meaning.
- If replacing one sound by another results in a different word, the two sounds represent different
phonemes and the two words form a minimal pair.
Examples:
 /p/ vs. /b/ → pat vs. bat
 /s/ vs. /ʃ/ → sip vs. ship
 /f/ vs. /v/ → fine vs. vine
 [li:k] leak and [li:s] lease
- By means of the minimal pair technique we can distinguish 44 phonemes in Standard British
English.
3. Allophones
- Allophones are the positional alternants of a phoneme: they are phonetically similar and are in
complementary distribution.
- In a easier way to understand, while phonemes are distinct units, allophones are variations of a
phoneme that do not change meaning.
Example: The English /t/
 Aspirated /t/: [tʰ] in top (a strong puff of air).
 Unaspirated /t/: [t] in stop (no strong puff of air).
- Even though they sound slightly different, both are the same phoneme /t/ in English.

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