Phoneme: Difference between revisions
The term was certainly not coined by Kruszewski (even the Wikipedia got that one right!). Time permitting, I'll write this part. |
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In [[phonology]] and [[phonetics]], a '''phoneme''' is a phonological [[segment]] that can distinguish meanings. This differentiates it from other [[speech sound]]s 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=== | ===Origin=== | ||
'''Phoneme''' is a [[structuralism|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 pair]]s. | |||
=== Links === | |||
[http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Phoneme&lemmacode=399 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics] | |||
===Other languages=== | ===Other languages=== | ||
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{{dc}} | {{dc}} | ||
[[Category:Phonetics and phonology]] | [[Category:Phonology]][[Category:Phonetics and phonology]] | ||
{{stub}} | |||
Latest revision as of 19:57, 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 |