Phoneme: meaning, definitions and examples
๐
phoneme
[ หfษสniหm ]
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.
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:
๐ต๐น fonema
๐ฎ๐ณ เคงเฅเคตเคจเฅเคฏเคพเคคเฅเคฎเค เคเคเคพเค
๐ฉ๐ช Phonem
๐ฎ๐ฉ fonem
๐บ๐ฆ ัะพะฝะตะผะฐ
๐ต๐ฑ fonem
๐ฏ๐ต ้ณ็ด (ใใใ)
๐ซ๐ท phonรจme
๐ช๐ธ fonema
๐น๐ท fonem
๐ฐ๐ท ์์ (eumso)
๐ธ๐ฆ ููููู
๐จ๐ฟ fonรฉm
๐ธ๐ฐ fonรฉma
๐จ๐ณ ้ณ็ด (yฤซnsรน)
๐ธ๐ฎ fonem
๐ฎ๐ธ hljรณรฐein
๐ฐ๐ฟ ัะพะฝะตะผะฐ
๐ฌ๐ช แคแแแแแ
๐ฆ๐ฟ fonem
๐ฒ๐ฝ fonema
Word origin
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.