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Reference.org
Phoneme
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<p>A phoneme is any set of similar <a href="/facts/Phone_(phonetics)/SDJtYApq">speech sounds</a> that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—a smallest possible <a href="/facts/Phonetics/ljAVT8fv">phonetic</a> unit—that helps distinguish one <a href="/facts/Word/sD4KyoLF">word</a> from another. All languages contain phonemes (or the spatial-gestural equivalent in <a href="/facts/Sign_language/Wjfl9Db6">sign languages</a>), and all spoken languages include both <a href="/facts/Consonant/81X2SGS6">consonant</a> and <a href="/facts/Vowel/BNhCeFtH">vowel</a> phonemes. Phonemes are primarily studied under the branch of <a href="/facts/Linguistics/oQuamvf2">linguistics</a> known as <a href="/facts/Phonology/qWAsvnok">phonology</a>. </p>