Phoneme: meaning, definitions and examples

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phoneme

 

[ หˆfษ™สŠniหm ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

linguistic

A unit of sound that distinguishes one word from another in a particular language, consisting of one or more phonetic features.

Synonyms

sound unit, speech sound

Examples of usage

  • The English language has approximately 44 phonemes.
  • The phoneme /t/ can be pronounced differently in different accents.
Context #2 | Noun

linguistic

The smallest unit of speech that can change the meaning of a word, e.g., the difference between the words 'pat' and 'bat' is the phoneme /p/.

Synonyms

distinctive sound unit, speech sound unit

Examples of usage

  • Understanding phonemes is crucial in learning to read and write.
  • Phonemes are essential for speech recognition technology.

Translations

Translations of the word "phoneme" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น fonema

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคงเฅเคตเคจเฅเคฏเคพเคคเฅเคฎเค• เค‡เค•เคพเคˆ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Phonem

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ fonem

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ั„ะพะฝะตะผะฐ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ fonem

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ้Ÿณ็ด  (ใŠใ‚“ใ)

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท phonรจme

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ fonema

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท fonem

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์Œ์†Œ (eumso)

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ููˆู†ูŠู…

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ fonรฉm

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ fonรฉma

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ้Ÿณ็ด  (yฤซnsรน)

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ fonem

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ hljรณรฐein

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ั„ะพะฝะตะผะฐ

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒคแƒแƒœแƒ”แƒ›แƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ fonem

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ fonema

Etymology

The term 'phoneme' was introduced by the Polish linguist Jan Baudouin de Courtenay in 1876. It is derived from the Greek word 'phone,' meaning sound. The concept of phonemes revolutionized the field of linguistics by providing a systematic way to analyze and describe the sounds of language. Phonemes play a fundamental role in phonology, the study of sound patterns in language.

See also: phone, phonemic, phoner, phonetics, phoney, phonically, smartphone, telephone, telephonist.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #21,401, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.