What is phoneme definition?

Phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can change the meaning of a word. It is a basic unit of the sound system of a language, and it helps to differentiate between different words or meanings in a language. A phoneme is represented by a phonetic symbol, which is used to transcribe the sound of a word. Phonetic symbols help linguists to analyze the patterns of sounds in a language. There are about 44 phonemes in the English language, including vowels, consonants, and diphthongs. The study of phonemes is important in understanding speech development, language acquisition, and speech disorders. Phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words, is a critical skill in learning how to read and write.