1. Phonemes:
* Definition: The smallest unit of sound in a language that distinguishes one word from another.
* Example: The word "cat" has three phonemes: /k/, /æ/, and /t/.
* Focus: Sound
2. Graphemes:
* Definition: The smallest unit of writing in a language that represents a phoneme.
* Example: The letter "c" can represent the /k/ phoneme (as in "cat") or the /s/ phoneme (as in "cent").
* Focus: Written representation
3. Morphemes:
* Definition: The smallest unit of meaning in a language.
* Example: The word "unbreakable" has three morphemes: "un-" (meaning "not"), "break" (meaning "to break"), and "-able" (meaning "capable of being").
* Focus: Meaning
The Relationship:
* Phonemes are the building blocks of spoken language. They are the sounds we make when we speak.
* Graphemes are the building blocks of written language. They are the letters and combinations of letters that represent phonemes.
* Morphemes are the building blocks of meaning. They are the units of language that convey meaning.
How they work together:
* Phonemes are represented by graphemes. The grapheme "c" can represent the phoneme /k/ in the word "cat" and the phoneme /s/ in the word "cent."
* Morphemes can be made up of one or more phonemes. The morpheme "un-" in the word "unbreakable" is made up of two phonemes: /ʌn/.
* Morphemes are expressed through graphemes. The morpheme "break" in the word "unbreakable" is represented by the graphemes "b-r-e-a-k."
In essence:
* Phonemes are the sounds of language, graphemes are the letters that represent those sounds, and morphemes are the meaningful units of language.
Let me know if you'd like more examples or have any further questions!