Variant forms of phonemes, such as the p of pit and spit in English are called
A)phones.
B)phonemes.
C)allophones.
D)marked sounds.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Allophones are the variant forms of a phoneme that occur in specific contexts or sound environments within a language, without changing the meaning of the word. The "p" in "pit" and "spit" are examples of such variations, where the presence or absence of aspiration does not change the meaning of the word, thus making them allophones of the same phoneme in English.

Variant Forms of Phonemes, Such as the P of Pit