You are a non-English-speaking linguist using a minimal-pair test to study the sound system of English.You pronounce two short words that are exactly the same except for one sound: "bat" and "vat." Then you ask your informants if the difference in sound has any effect on meaning.They say,"Of course-wouldn't you prefer to have your dinner cooked in a vat instead of a bat?" What are these two sounds examples of?
A) phonemes
B) vocal qualifiers
C) vocal segregates
D) morphemes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that changing the sound in "bat" to "vat" changes the meaning of the word shows that these two sounds are phonemes, which are the smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word in a specific language. Vocal qualifiers and vocal segregates are not commonly used terms in linguistics, and morphemes refer to the smallest units of meaning in a language, not sound.

You Are a Non-English-Speaking Linguist Using a Minimal-Pair Test to Study