Phonem
A phoneme () is a set of similar speech sounds that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—the smallest possible phonetic unit—that helps distinguish one word from another. All languages contain phonemes (or the spatial–gestural equivalent in sign languages), and all spoken languages include both consonant and vowel phonemes. Phonemes are studied under phonology, a branch of linguistics, a discipline encompassing the scientific study of language, writing, speech, and related matters.
Phonemes are traditionally represented, when written, as a glyph (a character) enclosed within two forward-sloping slashes /. For example, /ɒ/ indicates the phoneme, or set of sounds, used in the middle of the English word pot. The exact phonetic reality of this phoneme varies by accent, with the pronunciation [ɔ] in many British and Australian accents, [ɑ] in many US and Irish accents, [a] in Great Lakes accents of the US, etc. Still, /ɒ/ counts as one phoneme because it contrasts with, say, the /ʊ/ of put or /ɪ/ of pit.
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