Hardman’s Definition of the Phoneme

Negative Definition /Contrastive Definition

Phonemes act to keep words separate.

Phonemes make words contrast.

A Phoneme is what it is because it is not something else.

Positive Definition/ Realization Definition

Phonemes are built up of a range of phones that trigger our perception.

This definition accounts for physical realization of phonemes.

Speech organs builds sounds which trigger phonemes.

Structural Definition

Phonemes build the structure of language and are part of the whole

 phonological structure of a language.

Humans have propensity for symmetry in language.

There is a linguistic tendency to make use of some phonetic 

possibilities to make contrasts and to use them consistently.

Analyzing Data to Determine Phonemes

There are four general patterns you will find in your data that help you to determine phonemic status.

With extensive data sets, there is a fifth pattern that also appears.

These patterns are built around the definitions of the phoneme itself.