phonemic

[ fuh-nee-mik, foh- ]

adjective

1. of or relating to phonemes:

   a phonemic system.

2. of or relating to phonemics.
3. concerning or involving the discrimination of distinctive speech elements of a language:

   a phonemic contrast.

phonemic

/ fəˈniːmɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the phoneme
2. relating to or denoting speech sounds that belong to different phonemes rather than being allophonic variants of the same phoneme Compare phonetic
3. of or relating to phonemics

Derived Forms

• phoˈnemically, adverb

Other Words From

• pho·nemi·cal·ly adverb
• nonpho·nemic adjective
• nonpho·nemi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of phonemic¹

First recorded in 1930–35; phoneme + -ic

Example Sentences

He uses lots of phonemic paraphasia, where a person starts a word and then can't finish it so they say something that sounds similar such as "misses" instead of "missiles."

From Salon

Trump is continuing to show more of these phonemic aphasias: “Venezuero” instead of Venezuela.

From Salon

I asked several highly specialized experts about Trump's use of language, and they told me that what Trump is doing in total, but especially the phonemic paraphasias, were almost certain evidence of brain damage.

From Salon

Skipping or downplaying phonics, phonemic awareness and related skills makes learning to read especially difficult for kids with learning disabilities, including dyslexia.

From Seattle Times

It includes the five pillars of instruction: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and has recently been expanded to include oral language development, background knowledge and written expression.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• grammatical