Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
graphemic

graphemic

1 9.0
Relating to the letters or symbols used to write a language
  • adjective
  • /ˌɡræfɪˈmɪk/
  • Specialized
: gráfico
  • Each letter in the alphabet is a graphemic unit that helps form words.

Examples

  • We do not know at this point if this is due to disruption between or within the graphemic units.

    Academic text (2002)

  • In three studies using a complex array of stimuli that emphasized either graphemic or phonemic components, he found that boys, at the same reading level as girls, rely to a much greater extent on phonological analysis.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Encoding required the author to format the thoughts and ideas to be communicated into the graphemic code of the message using her or his grapho-phonic, syntactic, and semantic language systems.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Linguists study the differences between phonemic and graphemic representations in writing systems.

  • Understanding graphemic structures is essential for learning how to read and write.

Surface Forms

graphemic positive

Morphology

graphemic = grapheme (transparent) = grapheme + ic

Formed by the noun 'grapheme' plus the adjectival suffix '-ic', so the meaning 'relating to graphemes' is directly derivable.

Etymology

The word graphemic comes from the root graph meaning 'to write', the same root you see in autograph and photograph. So graphemic is about the small parts of writing, like 'letters' or 'symbols', which is why it refers to the units of a writing system.