Phoneme Definition and Characteristics

This question requires identifying the correct statements about a phoneme, a fundamental concept in the study of language (linguistics).

Statement Analysis

• Statement A: "It refers to the disrupted language of a patient with aphasia." This is incorrect. Aphasia describes language impairments, not the basic units of sound in a language.
• Statement B: "Every language has its own set of phonemes." This is true. Phonemes are specific to each language. Sounds that distinguish meaning in one language may not in another.
• Statement C: "A phonema is a category of speech sounds." This is true. A phoneme is the smallest distinct sound unit in a given language that serves to differentiate word meanings. It represents a category of sounds.
• Statement D: "It is the smallest unit of language that carries meaning." This is incorrect. This definition describes a morpheme (e.g., 'un-', 'read', '-able'). Phonemes are the smallest units that distinguish meaning, but they do not carry meaning themselves.

Conclusion on Phoneme Properties

Based on the analysis, statements B and C accurately describe aspects of a phoneme.

• Statement B correctly notes the language-specific nature of phonemes.
• Statement C correctly defines a phoneme as a category of speech sounds.

Therefore, the correct combination is B and C.