Which of the following represents the smallest sound units in language?

Phonemes represent the smallest sound units in language that can distinguish one word from another. They are the basic building blocks of speech, encompassing individual sounds like letters or combinations of letters in a language. For example, the words "bat" and "pat" differ by just one phoneme, /b/ and /p/.

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language and can be whole words or parts of words (like prefixes or suffixes) that carry meaning. Syllables are units of pronunciation often made up of one or more phonemes and typically consist of a vowel sound with or without surrounding consonants. Lexemes refer to the abstract unit of meaning or the dictionary form of a word, which can encompass multiple forms and variations, rather than the individual sounds. Each of these units serves a different function in the structure and meaning of language, but phonemes specifically are the foundational sound elements from which words are formed.