What is the smallest unit of meaning in language?

• A. Morpheme
• B. Phoneme
• C. Lexicon
• D. Allophone

Answer: (A)

The smallest unit of meaning in language is a morpheme. Morphemes are the building blocks of words, and they can be classified into two main types: free morphemes, which can stand alone as words (e.g., "book," "run"), and bound morphemes, which cannot stand alone and must attach to a free morpheme to convey meaning (e.g., prefixes like "un-" and suffixes like "-ed").

Morphemes convey specific meanings or grammatical functions, making them essential for understanding how language conveys ideas and information. For instance, in the word "cats," there are two morphemes: "cat," which refers to the animal, and "-s," which indicates pluralization. This illustrates how morphemes work together to provide meaning.

In contrast, phonemes refer to the smallest units of sound in language, which do not convey meaning by themselves. The lexicon represents the complete set of morphemes in a language and their meanings, while allophones are variations of phonemes that do not change meaning in a specific language context. Understanding morphemes is crucial for grasping the complexities of language and communication.