What are the smallest speech units in a language that can be distinguished perceptually

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest speech units in a language that can be distinguished perceptually. They are the basic building blocks of language and differentiate one word from another. For example, the /b/ sound in "bat" is a different phoneme than the /p/ sound in "pat". Each phoneme is represented by a unique symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

What Are the Smallest Speech Units in a Language That