The English language uses
A) 26 phonemes, one for each letter of the alphabet.
B) approximately 450,000 phonemes, one for each word.
C) about 40 phonemes, corresponding to the letters of the alphabet plus several variations.
D) all of the 100 or so phonemes that humans are capable of producing.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The English language uses about 40 phonemes, which correspond to the letters of the alphabet plus several variations. While there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, some letter combinations, such as "th" or "ch," represent separate phonemes. Additionally, there are variations in pronunciation depending on accent or dialect. However, 450,000 phonemes (option B) and all 100 phonemes that humans are capable of producing (option D) are not accurate descriptions of the phonemes used in the English language.

The English Language Uses