Final answer:
Phonemes are the basic sounds of consonants and vowels that distinguish words in a language. They are combined to form morphemes and words, and even infants can differentiate between these basic sounds before specializing in their native language's phonemes. The correct answer is option (B) Th e basic sounds of consonants and vowels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Phonemes are best defined as (B) the basic sounds of consonants and vowels. These are the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another. In English, for example, the phonemes "s" and "f" differentiate words like "sip" and "zip."
Phonemes are combined to form morphemes, which in turn make up words and convey meaning. While letters are visual representations, they correspond to the auditory phonemes, such as the difference between the sounds indicated by the letters "s" and "z" in the previous example.
Every language has its own set of phonemes that are essential for communication. Infants are able to distinguish the phonemes of all human languages early on, but this ability becomes more focused on the phonemes of the language used in their environment by the time they are about one year old.