Non-phonemic

Describing a linguistic feature or variation that does not distinguish between phonemes, the basic units of sound that differentiate words in a language. In essence, non-phonemic elements are predictable and do not alter the meaning of a word if changed. These variations typically occur due to factors like regional accents, speaking style, or phonetic context, and are considered allophonic, meaning different phonetic realizations of the same phoneme. Unlike phonemic variations that can alter word meaning (e.g., 'bat' vs. 'pat'), non-phonemic variations are subtle and do not lead to different lexical items. Understanding non-phonemic variations helps clarify the systematicity of sound changes in different dialect regions. This is also critical in speech analysis and language learning.

Non-phonemic meaning with examples

• In many dialects, the pronunciation of 't' in 'water' varies, sometimes pronounced as a 't' sound, other times as a flap [ɾ] sound, similar to the 'd' in 'wader'. This change is non-phonemic, as it does not change the meaning of the word or create a different word altogether, indicating a regional variation of one phoneme.
• The aspiration of 'p' in 'pin' (aspirated 'p') versus the unaspirated 'p' in 'spin' is a non-phonemic difference in English. While they sound slightly different, the aspiration does not change the meaning of the word. Speakers of English are not distinguishing different sounds but a mere variation of the /p/ phoneme.
• The nasalization of vowels before nasal consonants (e.g., the vowel in 'can') is another example. The nasalization is non-phonemic in English, and it varies among speakers and dialects. The nasalization isn't crucial for the comprehension and does not distinguish this from another word.
• The 'r' sound in English, for example, varies considerably between dialects, some pronoucing it like a trill [r] while others pronounce it as a retroflex approximant [ɻ]. Despite these different phonetic realizations, the difference between these variations of /r/ is considered non-phonemic.
• In some dialects, the vowels in 'cot' and 'caught' merge to be the same sound. This merger is a non-phonemic change. The loss of distinction between those vowel sounds may be a non-phonemic change with no consequence on the meanings of words in the language.