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Glite Dictionary
phonemics

phonemics

8.4
Study of the sounds a language uses and how they change meaning
  • noun
  • /fəˈnɛmɪks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fonémica
  • The etic/emic distinction derives from the distinction in linguistics between phonemics and phonetics.

Examples

  • On the other hand, phonemics represents sound categories according to their internal function in language.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The study of phonemics helps linguists understand how sounds convey meaning in a language.

  • In her thesis, she explored the role of phonemics in the development of language skills.

  • Many language courses include a section on phonemics to explain the sound systems of different languages.

Synonyms

phonology
vsphonemics
  • Specialized
1 8.7

The study of how a language uses and organizes sounds

focuses specifically on analyzing and classifying phonemes rather than whole sound systems

Surface Forms

phonemics singular
phonemics plural

Morphology

phonemics = phoneme (transparent) = phoneme + ics

Formed from 'phoneme' + the discipline-forming suffix '-ics', meaning 'the study of phonemes', which follows a regular pattern for fields of study.

Etymology

Phonemics comes from the Greek root phon- meaning 'sound' or 'voice' and the ending -ics meaning 'the study of', the same root you see in microphone and telephone. So, phonemics is the study of a language's small sound parts, the phonemes, which can change the meaning of words.