Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

What defines the process by which a child turns one word into another using a different phoneme?

1. Phoneme deletion

2. Phoneme blending

3. Phoneme substitution

4. Phoneme identity

The correct answer is: Phoneme substitution

The process of turning one word into another by using a different phoneme is known as phoneme substitution. This involves changing one sound in a word to create a new word while keeping the other sounds the same. For example, changing the /b/ in "bat" to a /k/ to form "cat" illustrates this concept. Phoneme substitution is an essential skill in phonemic awareness as it helps children understand how changing sounds can alter meaning in language. In contrast, phoneme deletion refers to removing a phoneme from a word, phoneme blending involves combining individual phonemes to form a word, and phoneme identity requires identifying the same sounds in different words. Each of these processes plays a distinct role in phonological awareness development, but phoneme substitution specifically addresses the transformation of one word into another through phonemic change.