Here's a breakdown:
* Sound: Phonemes are not the written letters of a language, but rather the individual sounds that we produce when speaking.
* Smallest unit: Phonemes are the most basic building blocks of spoken language. They cannot be broken down into smaller meaningful units.
* Distinguishes words: Changing a phoneme in a word can change its meaning. For example, the words "cat" and "bat" differ only by one phoneme: /k/ vs. /b/.
Key points to remember:
* Minimal pairs: Words that differ in just one phoneme are called minimal pairs.
* Allophones: A phoneme can be pronounced in slightly different ways, depending on the surrounding sounds. These variations are called allophones.
* Number of phonemes: The number of phonemes in a language varies. English has around 44 phonemes, while other languages have more or fewer.
Example:
In the English word "cat," there are three phonemes:
* /k/ - the sound at the beginning
* /æ/ - the sound in the middle
* /t/ - the sound at the end
By changing any one of these phonemes, we change the meaning of the word (e.g., "bat," "cot," "cart").
In essence, phonemes are the essential sounds that give meaning to our spoken words.