Question

the smallest distinctive sound units in a language that an individual can distinguish are _______
a. semantics
b. phonemes
c. morphemes
d. syntaxes

please select the best answer from the choices provided
a
b
c
d

Explanation:

Identify the definition of the smallest distinctive sound units

The question asks for the smallest distinctive sound units in a language that an individual can distinguish.

Evaluate the given options

• Semantics: The study of meaning in language.
• Phonemes: The smallest units of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another (e.g., the /b/ and /p/ sounds in "bat" and "pat").
• Morphemes: The smallest units of meaning in a language (e.g., prefixes, suffixes, or short words like "cat").
• Syntaxes: The rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences.

Select the correct option

Based on the definitions, the smallest distinctive sound units are phonemes, which corresponds to option B.

Answer:

• A. semantics
• B. phonemes (Correct answer)
• C. morphemes
• D. syntaxes