Allophony refers to the phenomenon where a phoneme, the smallest unit of sound in a language, is realized as different sounds (allophones) depending on the phonetic context or position within a word. These variations do not change the meaning of words and are often influenced by surrounding sounds or phonetic environments.

Allophony

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish words from each other, playing a crucial role in the phonological structure of languages. Understanding phonemes is essential for grasping how different languages utilize sound patterns to convey meaning and how they are perceived and produced by speakers.

phoneme

smallest unit of sound

different sounds

Allophones are variations of a single phoneme that occur in different phonetic contexts but do not change the meaning of a word. They are crucial for understanding how sounds are produced and perceived in natural languages, highlighting the flexibility and variability of speech sounds.

allophones

Phonetic context refers to the influence of surrounding sounds on the articulation and perception of a given phoneme, affecting its acoustic and auditory characteristics. This concept is crucial in understanding speech variability and is a fundamental aspect of phonetic transcription and analysis in linguistics.

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