Answer :
Final answer:
Phonemic awareness involves the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds, called phonemes, in spoken words. Hence, (A) is the correct option.
Explanation:
The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate discrete, individual sounds in words is called phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is a crucial component of reading and language development, involving the conscious ability to recognize and work with phonemes, the smallest units of sound in spoken language.
For instance, in the word 'cat', there are three phonemes: /c/, /a/, and /t/. It's important for literacy because it enables children to understand the alphabetic principle, aiding them when learning to read and write.
It is distinguished from phonological awareness, which encompasses a broader awareness of sound structures in spoken words, such as rhymes and syllables, as well as from decoding skills, which involve applying knowledge of letter-sound relationships to read words.
