Phonemes are
A) the same across all languages.
B) the smallest units of sound in a spoken language.
C) the smallest units of meaning in a spoken language.
D) rules for combining sounds to form meaning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a spoken language. They differ between languages and can change the meaning of a word when substituted with a different phoneme. Option A is incorrect because phonemes differ between languages. Option C is incorrect because the smallest units of meaning are morphemes. Option D pertains to the study of phonology and the rules governing the sounds in a language, but does not specifically define phonemes.

Phonemes Are