What describes the ability to notice and manipulate sounds in spoken language?

The ability to notice and manipulate sounds in spoken language is described by phonemic awareness. This concept involves recognizing that words are made up of individual sounds, or phonemes, and being able to manipulate these sounds through various tasks. For instance, a child demonstrating phonemic awareness might be able to identify the first sound in a word, blend sounds together to form words, or segment words into their component sounds. This foundational skill is crucial for successful reading development, as it underpins the ability to decode written text.

Phonetics, while related to sounds, focuses on the physical properties of speech sounds and how they are produced and perceived, rather than the awareness and manipulation of those sounds in language. Phonics involves understanding the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters or letter combinations, which is a more advanced skill that builds on phonemic awareness. Graphic organizers are tools that help organize information visually but are not related to the auditory processing of sounds. Thus, phonemic awareness stands out as the key component that directly addresses the ability to notice and manipulate sounds in spoken language.