In any theory of language is such a thing as a phoneme.It may seem strange and incomprehensible to man, far from linguistics.In fact, it is an essential element in the system of general philology.
concept of phonemes
deal with this term can be an example of abstract and concrete concepts.With an abstract definition of the phoneme match specific sound of human speech.One and the same person in different situations in different ways utters the same phoneme.Therefore, it can be argued that an unlimited number of sounds, while their abstract images - a certain finite set of each language.
For all these reasons, scientists have determined that the phoneme - is the smallest semantic unit of speech, summarizing specific sounds.
It is a form of expression and the form of value.It expresses the concept of specific signs (graphemes) and sounds of speech.Lexical meaning of the phoneme has not, but carries a grammatical.For example, a horse, a horse - are two different forms of the word, as indicated by the phoneme [a] expressed using the letters I have.
studying history at the end of the 19th century scholar Ferdinand de Saussure first coined the term in the academic community.At the time he said that the phoneme - a mental image of the sound, pointing to his subjectivity.
little later, B. de Courtenay filled this term with new meaning.He suggested that phonemes can be elementary units of speech.This assumption proved L.Scherba, pointing to the functions of the unit.
Since that time, all linguists already know exactly what phoneme and how to allocate it in the particular language.Scientists have begun to study the so-called phonetic matrix.It consists of a set of phonemes, which allow a speaker to distinguish between the words of others and build your own.
If people are not the same phonetic matrix, they can not communicate.Therefore, the study of foreign languages is very important to constantly listen to its carriers.This allows you to create in your mind an adequate system for oral communication phonemes.
phonetics, phonology and orthoepy
In linguistics Traditionally, that the question "What is a phoneme?" Answer just three of its section.The main task of phonetics - the study of abstract speech units of a particular language, their interactions and the changes under the influence of various phonetic positions.
studied in phonology sounds, ways of their formation and the factors that they can change.The concept of the phoneme is used to relate the abstract and specific detection of the facts of reality.Phonology It helps to determine what determines education in the language of a particular phoneme.
Orthoepy - practical science.It assigns phonemes and sounds and sees to it that they match each other.Non-compliance of these concepts is fraught with change of the whole language system on a global scale, and a simple lack of understanding of other people speaking in particular.
Orthoepy developing a set of rules of how to pronounce the phonemes to get those sounds they represent.As a rule, they are known to native speakers on an intuitive level, but sometimes it happens that people can "eat" sounds, erasing the boundaries between phonemes.
method for determining
Any unit should be allocated according to certain rules.Signs of phonemes is quite simple: it is the smallest unit of speech, and it defines the meaning of the word is not in itself such carrying values.
Minimality phonemes can be proved by dividing the speech stream into the smallest components - sounds.Substituting one sound for another, get new words.Since the phoneme is a generalized value of the sound, it can be argued that it is the smallest unit of language.
regards its ability to distinguish words should refer to specific examples.Nose and knife differ only one consonant phonemes.Replacing the end radically change the lexical meaning of the word with the body of a living being in the kitchen accessories for cutting products.
Words sit and gray in the speech have blurred the boundaries of phonemes [u nd].Therefore, the exact lexical meaning of the word can be determined either in the context of, or putting the word in a form where the phoneme would be in a strong position and will provide the conditions for a clear sound.It is thus manifest and distinctive features of phonemes in any language.
functions
Scientists have isolated only two functions phonemes.One is for education semantic shell word.Because of a constant set of phonemes comprise the same unit with the lexical and grammatical meaning.Without this continuous system operation is not possible any language in the world.The greater the correspondence between phonemes and sounds, the easier it is to learn a foreign language.According to this principle created Esperanto, which sustained a complete identity between these concepts.
second function - distinctiveness.What is a phoneme in its context, it becomes clear by specific examples.The lexical meaning of the dark word "night" is changing dramatically in the "female child" (daughter) by replacing only one initial phoneme.
grammatical relations are clearly visible on the example of the hand endings (singular) - hand (plural).
Thus, all the phonemes are of great importance for the structure of minimal semantic units of language and differentiation.
Types phonemes
phonemes of any language are divided according to several criteria.For the participation of the noise and the voices of isolated vowels and consonants.For vowels characteristic sometimes come under stress, when the flow of exhaled air is at the highest point of articulation.
The level of softness on the pronunciation of consonants and palatalized nepalatalizovannye.As a method of forming isolated afrikativnye and occlusive-slot.By voicing distinguish voiced and voiceless.
consonant and vowel phonemes may be both strong, and in a weak position.On this depends the ease of differentiation.
role position in the word
The same phoneme in a weak position can lose its distinctive feature.It depends on what it begin to affect standing next to the minimum unit of speech.The mechanism of this process is quite simple.Speech unit rights in the pronunciation of words in a fraction of a second is to be reconstructed for each specific phoneme.If a word has a radically different on some basis or unit is an absolute end, it is possible that the device is not properly adjusted to the speech and sound clarity smazhet phonemes in a particular sound.
example is the word "carrot", where the final sound is heard as a soft [f], but in the test word "carrot" heard a clear [in].
Even more difficult things with the vowels [i-e].In a weak position, they are similar to each other, forming a high-sounding phoneme.In this case, it is difficult to determine which lexical meaning of the word.This causes speech incidents.Thus, the differential function of the phoneme depends strongly on the strong or weak position in the word.
ratio phoneme sound-letter
In linguistics much intertwined concepts of phoneme sounds and letters.All this is because they are a reflection of the same facts of reality.The most primary concept in human speech appears sound.Even prehistoric people published them, starting to form some rudiments of the language.
only after human beings have learned to communicate using sounds, formed the concept of phonemes - a set of reproduced sound, which has a certain value.Of course, the term and understanding what phoneme come to mankind only in the late 19th century.
letters also became necessary to create graphical notation of sounds and words.With the development of civilization, people have learned to reflect the minimum unit of speech by means of written signs.At the same time, the hieroglyphic writing there is still no specific designation of phonemes.But in the alphabetic system for many languages there is a striking correspondence between letters and phonemes.
