Difference between revisions of "Phoneme"
Wohlgemuth (talk | contribs) m (+ utrecht stuff) |
m (more info + links) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | + | In [[phonology]] and [[phonetics]], a '''phoneme''' is a phonological [[segment]] that can distinguish meanings. This differentiates it from other [[speech sounds]] that do not contribute to the uniqueness of a segment. | |
| − | |||
| − | In [[phonology]], a '''phoneme''' is a phonological [[segment]] that can distinguish meanings. | ||
| − | |||
=== Example === | === Example === | ||
| Line 23: | Line 20: | ||
{{dc}} | {{dc}} | ||
[[Category:Phonology]][[Category:Phonetics and phonology]] | [[Category:Phonology]][[Category:Phonetics and phonology]] | ||
| + | {{stub}} | ||
Revision as of 19:43, 24 July 2010
In phonology and phonetics, a phoneme is a phonological segment that can distinguish meanings. This differentiates it from other speech sounds that do not contribute to the uniqueness of a segment.
Example
/t/ and /p/ are two phonemes of English: ten and pen are two different words. Replacing /e/ by /I/ result in [tIn] and [pIn], therefore /e/ and /I/ are also two phonemes, etcetera. In Dutch the /e./ as in [be.t] (beet) and /e:/ as in [be:r] (beer) are not two phonemes since they cannot distinguish two words: *[be:t] and *[be.r].
Origin
Phoneme is a structuralist concept of the smallest unit by which one can distinguish one word from another (e.g. Jacobson, Trubetzkoy). The phonemes of a language can be found by constructing minimal pairs.
Links
Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics
Other languages
| STUB |
