What is the smallest unit of meaning in a language?

The smallest unit of meaning in a language is a morpheme. Morphemes can be either free or bound; free morphemes can stand alone as words (like "cat" or "book"), while bound morphemes cannot stand alone and must attach to other morphemes (like the prefix "un-" in "undo" or the suffix "-ing" in "running"). Understanding morphemes is essential because they form the building blocks of words and contribute to the overall meaning in language.

In contrast, phonemes refer to the smallest units of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning but do not carry meaning themselves. Syllables are units of pronunciation that may contain one or more phonemes but do not necessarily convey meaning independently. A phrase is a group of words that work together but can consist of several morphemes. Thus, while all the other options represent significant components of language structure, only morphemes specifically represent the smallest unit of meaning.