What is defined as the smallest unit of sound in a language system?

The term that is defined as the smallest unit of sound in a language system is a phoneme. Phonemes are the basic sound units that distinguish one word from another in a particular language. For example, changing the initial sound in the word "bat" from /b/ to /c/ creates a different word, "cat." This illustrates how phonemes function as distinct sounds that can alter meaning.

Phonemic awareness refers to the understanding and ability to manipulate these sounds within spoken words, which is a critical phonological skill for developing reading and writing. Orthography pertains to the conventional spelling system of a language, which involves how sounds are represented in writing. Phonics is a method of teaching reading that relates sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes) and emphasizes the relationship between sounds and their corresponding written symbols. All of these concepts are interconnected in the realm of language and literacy development, but the phoneme specifically denotes the smallest unit of sound.