Which aspect of language is closely related to letter-sound correspondence?

Letter-sound correspondence refers to the relationship between letters (graphemes) and the sounds (phonemes) they represent in spoken language. Phonetics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the sounds of human speech, including how those sounds are produced, transmitted, and perceived. This field directly addresses how individual sounds correspond to specific letters or groups of letters in a language, making it foundational to understanding how to decode text through reading.

For instance, in the word "cat," phonetics helps us understand that the letter "c" represents the /k/ sound, "a" typically corresponds to the /æ/ sound in this context, and "t" corresponds to the /t/ sound. Phonetic awareness is a key component in teaching reading and writing, as it aids learners in connecting sounds to their written forms.

In contrast, grammar concerns the rules and structure of a language, syntax involves the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences, and semantics deals with the meanings of words and sentences. While all these aspects of language are important, they do not focus specifically on the direct relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds. Thus, phonetics is the critical aspect that directly relates to mastering letter-sound correspondence