Final answer:
Option c is correct. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken words, while decoding is breaking down a word into its sounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct statement is option c: Decoding is breaking up a word into sounds. Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. It involves understanding that words are made up of sounds and being able to recognize, separate, and blend those sounds. Decoding, on the other hand, is the process of breaking down a word into its individual sounds and then blending those sounds together to read the word.
For example, if we take the word 'cat', a person with phonemic awareness would be able to identify and manipulate the individual sounds /k/, /a/, and /t/. Decoding would involve breaking down the word 'cat' into the sounds /k/, /a/, and /t/ and then blending them together to read the word.