College

Agostino, age 6, pronounces most words clearly but has difficulty pronouncing "j," "v," "th," and "zh" sounds, which are examples of:

A. phonemes
B. morphemes
C. metalinguistics
D. word blends

Answer :

Final answer:

Agostino's difficulty with pronouncing the sounds "j," "v," "th," and "zh" indicates he is struggling with specific phonemes, the smallest sound units in language. This is different from morphemes, which are the smallest meaningful units, and other options like metalinguistics and word blends. Understanding these terms helps clarify the language development process.


Explanation:

Understanding Sound Pronunciation in Language Development

In the context of language development, the question addresses Agostino's difficulty in pronouncing certain sounds. The sounds he struggles with, such as "j," "v," "th," and "zh, " are examples of specific units of sound known as phonemes. Phonemes are the smallest sound units in a language that can distinguish meaning. For example, the difference between "bat" and "vat" is a change in the initial phoneme.

In contrast, morphemes refer to the smallest units of meaning in language, such as prefixes or suffixes. Metalinguistics involves the awareness and understanding of language as an abstract system. Word blends are combinations of two words (like "brunch" from "breakfast" and "lunch"), demonstrating how words can combine but is not relevant to the pronunciation difficulties.


Learn more about phonemes here:

https://brainly.com/question/41330073