Minimal pair: Difference between revisions
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In [[linguistics]], two words differing by only one unit of sound, or [[phoneme]], are called a '''minimal pair'''. Minimal pairs are widely used in language teaching. | In [[linguistics]], two words differing by only one unit of sound, or [[phoneme]], are called a '''minimal pair'''. Minimal pairs are widely used in language teaching. In English, typical examples are: | ||
*'cat' and 'mat' | *'cat' and 'mat' | ||
*'fish' and 'wish' | *'fish' and 'wish' | ||
Revision as of 13:58, 3 May 2008
In linguistics, two words differing by only one unit of sound, or phoneme, are called a minimal pair. Minimal pairs are widely used in language teaching. In English, typical examples are:
- 'cat' and 'mat'
- 'fish' and 'wish'
- 'abortion' and 'apportion'
- 'parole' and 'patrol'
Spelling can disguise the fact of a minimal pair; some examples of this are:
- 'bane' and 'boon'
- 'league' and 'leak'
- 'do' and 'two'
- 'Evans' and 'heavens'