Phoneme

Phoneme

A Phoneme is one of the units of sound that distinguish one word from another in a particular language. The concept of phoneme originated in the mid 19th century, and it is a fundamental element in the field of Phonetics and Phonology.

Definition

The term Phoneme is derived from the Greek word phōnēma, meaning "voice" or "sound". In Linguistics, a phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another. For example, in English, the sounds /p/ and /b/ are distinct phonemes because they distinguish words like "pat" and "bat".

Types of Phonemes

There are three main types of phonemes: consonant phonemes, vowel phonemes, and suprasegmental phonemes.

Consonant Phonemes

Consonant phonemes are produced by obstructing the airflow in some way, such as by closing the lips or touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth.

Vowel Phonemes

Vowel phonemes are produced with an open vocal tract, allowing the air to flow freely.

Suprasegmental Phonemes

Suprasegmental phonemes, also known as prosodic features, include elements such as stress, tone, and intonation, which can also distinguish words in some languages.

Phoneme in Different Languages

The number and nature of phonemes can vary significantly between languages. For example, English has approximately 44 phonemes, while Hawaiian has only 13.

See Also

• Allophone
• Morpheme
• Grapheme
• Phonetic Alphabet
• Phonetic Transcription

References

Phoneme Resources
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