Phonemics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The study of the system and pattern of speech sounds in a language and how they function within that language
2. Analyzing the set of distinctive sounds that distinguish meaning in spoken communication and their organization in a particular language
3. The field focusing on understanding how speech sounds operate as meaningful units and their relationships in linguistic structure

Etymology: Phonemics is the study of sounds as they function within a particular language, and its name is built from "phoneme" plus the suffix "-ics," the same ending found in "linguistics," "physics," and "mathematics." The suffix comes from Latin "-icus" by way of Old French and Middle English "-ik," and the plural "-ics" marks a field of study, so the word names a discipline rather than any single sound. The root beneath it is Greek "phōnē," meaning "voice" or "sound." Greek "phōnēma" (a sound uttered, a spoken word) was formed from the verb "phōneein," to make a sound, and English borrowed it as "phoneme" to name the smallest unit of speech that distinguishes one word from another, such as the "p" in "pat" versus "b" in "bat."

Synonyms: phonology