The ______ is the shortest segment of speech that, if changed, changes the meaning of the word.
A) formants
B) phonemes
C) tadomas
D) morphemes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in language that can distinguish words from one another. Changing a phoneme in a word changes its meaning, whereas changing a formant (which are resonances of the vocal tract that contribute to the quality of a sound) or a morpheme (which is a meaningful unit of language that cannot stand alone) may not necessarily change the meaning of the word. Tadomas is not a term used in linguistics.

The ______ Is the Shortest Segment of Speech That, If