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AP Psychology – Common Psychology Terms

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In language, what is the smallest unit of sound that can distinguish meaning?
Correct Answer:
Phoneme
Explanation:
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can distinguish meaning. In English, swapping the initial sounds in words like “bat” and “pat” changes the meaning, because /b/ and /p/ are different phonemes. Phonemes are about sound units that create different words, whereas morphemes are the smallest units that carry meaning themselves (like “dog” or the plural suffix “-s”). Phonology is the study of how these sounds are organized in a language, and allophones are variant pronunciations of the same phoneme that don’t change meaning.

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