toneme
/ˈtoʊnim/
noun
- A unit of sound in a language that distinguishes meaning by its pitch or tone, like a phoneme but based on tone.
- Each toneme in Thai has a specific pitch pattern that speakers must learn.
- Linguists study how tonemes change the meaning of words in tonal languages.
- In Mandarin Chinese, the word 'ma' can mean 'mother' or 'horse' depending on the toneme used.