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Difference Between Phoneme and Allophone
Difference Between Phoneme and Allophone
Phoneme vs Allophone
What is a Phoneme?
The smallest sound unit that can be used in many different words but sounds the
same in all words such as the smallest sound of /p/ in words like pot, spot, spit,
phase etc. Though the sound made in all these words is not identical, the sound of
phoneme p is perceived as same and believed to be making use of the same
phoneme /p/.
What is an Allophone?
For a single phoneme, there can be a number of different sounds that can be made.
These sounds become clear when we place a piece of paper in front of our mouths
and see the reaction when making different sounds with the same phoneme. Thus,
different sounds made using the same phoneme are called its allophones.
• Phonemes are basic sound units. They are significant and non-predictable.
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-phoneme-and-vs-
allophone/