Understanding the nuances of phonological awareness versus phonemic awareness is foundational for educators, parents, and anyone involved in supporting early literacy development. Although the terms phonological awareness and phonemic awareness, as Schuele et al. (2014) noted, are often used interchangeably but they are not synonymous.
These concepts highlight different aspects of language awareness crucial for reading and spelling proficiency. Phonological awareness is the umbrella term that encompasses a range of auditory recognition and manipulation skills, from rhymes and syllables to the onset and rime of words.
It’s about appreciating the broader sound structure of language, an ability that lays the groundwork for dissecting and understanding spoken words. On the flip side, phonemic awareness drills down to the granular level of language, focusing on the individual phonemes, or the smallest units of sound that distinguish one word from another. This skill is vital for the development of reading and writing, as it connects the dots between sounds and their corresponding letters or letter combinations.
The purpose of this post is to help you understand the critical distinctions between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness, two foundational concepts in early literacy development.
Related: Phonological Awareness Vs Phonics
Phonological Awareness Versus Phonemic Awareness
Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness are closely related concepts in the development of reading skills, but they differ in scope. Phonological awareness is a broad skill that includes recognizing and manipulating the sound structures of language, such as rhymes, syllables, and the onset and rime of words. It’s about understanding the auditory aspects of language separate from its meaning.
Phonemic awareness, on the other hand, is a specific subset of phonological awareness that focuses on the smallest unit of sound, or phonemes, in spoken words. It involves the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate these individual sounds in words, which is crucial for learning to read and spell. Essentially, while all phonemic awareness activities are phonological in nature, not all phonological awareness activities deal with the fine-grained manipulation of phonemes.
Ehri et al., (2001) citing Liberman et al., (1974) defines phonemic awareness as “the ability to focus on and manipulate phonemes in spoken words.” (p. 253)
Ehri et al., (2001) further added that phonemic awareness “is different from phonological awareness, which is a more encompassing term referring not only to PA but also to awareness of larger spoken units such as syllables and rhyming word.” (p. 253)
Phonological awareness represents a broad skill set in the realm of literacy, referring to one’s ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structures of language, encompassing everything from individual phonemes to syllables and rhymes. This concept, as described by Mattingly (1972) and further elaborated by Schuele et al. (2014), emphasizes the metalinguistic skill of analyzing sounds independent of meaning.
According to Schuele et al., 201:
“Phonological awareness is a broad term that encompasses all activities or tasks that require analysis of sound structure. Phonemic awareness is a more narrow term that encompasses only those phonological awareness activities that require children to isolate and produce individual speech sounds or phonemes (e.g., Say the first sound in shoe. Tell me the three sounds in sun). Thus, phonemic awareness should be viewed as a subset of phonological awareness […]. A few examples may help to clarify the terms. Generating rhyming words (e.g., Tell me a word that rhymes with frog) is a phonological awareness task but not a phonemic awareness task. Comparing words based on initial sounds (e.g., Does fish go with foot or with bat?) is also a phonological awareness task, whereas segmenting the initial sounds of words (e.g., What is the first sound in fish?) is a phonemic awareness task. All phonemic awareness tasks are phonological awareness tasks, but not all phonological awareness tasks are phonemic awareness tasks.” (pp. 3-4)
Contrary to the simplistic view that phonological awareness merely involves the ability to hear sounds, it’s more accurately about the analysis of these sounds. This analysis is not hindered by the ability to hear but by the ability to dissect and understand the components of spoken language. It’s a skill that begins to develop in the preschool years, highlighting the importance of early exposure to language play, rhyming games, and other auditory experiences that bolster this awareness.
Phonemic awareness, a subset of phonological awareness, zooms in on the smallest units of sound, or phonemes, within words. Ehri et al. (2001), along with foundational work by Liberman et al. (1974), define phonemic awareness as the ability to focus on and manipulate these individual sounds in spoken words. This skill is pivotal for reading and spelling, as it underlies the ability to connect sounds with their corresponding letters or letter combinations.
The distinction between phonological and phonemic awareness is akin to the difference between understanding the broader landscape of a terrain and noticing the specific paths that traverse it. Phonological awareness serves as the overarching ability to navigate the sound structure of language, while phonemic awareness offers a more focused lens, honing in on the minutiae of individual sounds.
This differentiation is crucial for educational strategies, as Schuele et al. (2014) and Scarborough & Brady (2002) point out, because it informs how we approach teaching reading and writing. Understanding that phonemic awareness is a specific aspect of the broader phonological awareness can guide educators in structuring their literacy instruction to effectively support all facets of language learning.
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Activities
Engaging in targeted activities can significantly bolster both phonological and phonemic awareness among young learners. Here are two activities for each area that further illustrate the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness:
Phonological Awareness Activities
Here are two interesting activities to help you teach kids and student phonolocal awareness, for more resources check out our post titled 12 Helpful Phonological Awareness Activities:
- Rhyme Time: This activity encourages children to listen for and generate rhyming words, enhancing their awareness of sound patterns. Start by choosing a word (e.g., “cat”) and ask the children to come up with as many rhyming words as they can (e.g., “bat,” “hat,” “mat”). To make it more engaging, turn it into a game where each child takes turns saying a rhyming word until someone runs out of ideas.
- Syllable Sorting: This game helps children break down words into their syllabic components, aiding their understanding of word structure. Collect a set of objects or use pictures and have the children sort them into groups based on the number of syllables in each word. For example, “apple” (two syllables) and “banana” (three syllables) would be sorted into different groups. You can turn this into a competitive game by timing how fast they can correctly sort a set of words.
Phonemic Awareness Activities
Below are two handy activities to use with your kids to sharpen their phonemic awareness, for more resources check out our post
- Sound Isolation: This activity sharpens the ability to identify individual sounds in words. Ask the children to identify the first, middle, or last sound of a given word. For instance, for the word “dog,” you might ask, “What is the first sound in ‘dog’?” The children should respond with the sound /d/. This can be expanded to identifying any sound within the word, fostering a deeper phonemic awareness.
- Phoneme Segmentation Relay: Turn phoneme segmentation into a physical and fun activity with a relay race. Divide the children into teams and give each team a word (starting simple and getting more complex). One at a time, each child runs to a designated area where they say one phoneme of the word, then runs back and tags the next teammate, who says the next phoneme, and so on. For example, for the word “cat,” the first child would say /k/, the second /æ/, and the third /t/. This activity not only reinforces phonemic awareness but also promotes teamwork and physical activity.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, understanding the distinction between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness is essential for educators, parents, and anyone involved in supporting a child’s journey to literacy. While phonological awareness offers a broad canvas of recognizing and manipulating various sound structures within language, phonemic awareness delves into the fine detail, focusing on the individual sounds that make up words.
References
- Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Willows, D. M., Schuster, B. V., Yaghoub-Zadeh, Z., & Shanahan, T. (2001). Phonemic Awareness Instruction Helps Children Learn to Read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s Meta-Analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 36(3), 250–287. http://www.jstor.org/stable/748111
- Liberman, I., Shankweiler, D., Fischer, F., & Carter, B. (1974). Explicit syllable and phoneme segmentation in the young child. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 18, 201-212
- Schuele, C., Murphy, Naomi., & Moats, L. Cook. (2014). The Intensive Phonological Awareness (IPA) Program. Brookes Publishing.
- Venezky, R. (1970). The structure of English orthography. The Hague: Mouton
