klanksegments

Klanksegment is a term used in Dutch linguistics to denote the basic unit of sound in spoken language. A klanksegment is typically treated as a discrete element described by its articulatory properties (such as place and manner of articulation and voicing) and its role in distinguishing meaning. In phonological theory, a klanksegment is often equated with a phoneme, an abstract unit that contrasts words in a given language. In phonetics, a segment may refer to a concrete realization of that unit, or a phonetic variant (an allophone) observed in actual speech.

Typically, klanksegments include vowels and consonants. Some analyses also discuss feature timing or suprasegmental aspects, but these are usually treated as separate layers from the basic segment inventory. Segments combine to form syllables, following language-specific phonotactic rules that constrain allowable sequences and structures, such as onset, nucleus, and coda positions.

Representation of klanksegments is usually done with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which provides symbols for both the abstract phonemes and their concrete realizations. A single phoneme may have multiple allophones depending on context, which means actual spoken sounds can vary while still belonging to the same segment identity.

Linguists study inventories of klanksegments within languages, compare segmental systems across languages, and analyze processes like assimilation, coarticulation, and allophony that affect how segments are realized in continuous speech. This work underpins broader theories of phonology, phonetics, and language structure.