What is Phoneme

Phonological awareness is the conscious awareness that oral language can be subdivided into subcomponents, including words, syllables, rhymes, and sounds. Its importance has been identified in the development of children's literacy in L1, especially in terms of spelling, writing, and reading. Phonological awareness is of special importance for L2 acquisition as well, suggesting a strong correlation between this metalinguistic proficiency and literacy. This chapter examines this relation in young adults who are already literate in the L1 by providing an overview of the understudied area of L2 phonological awareness and its connection to spoken and written literacy. It is argued that phonological awareness influences spoken and written literacy skills given that L2 English users transfer L1 phonological awareness skills to the target language. In this context, the author suggests that instruction should be provided in the form of short, fun activities matching the interests of the young L2 adults.