Phonics involves the study of which of the following?

Phonics is fundamentally concerned with the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and their corresponding symbols (graphemes) in written language. This focus on symbol-sound relationships is crucial for developing reading skills, as it enables learners to decode words by connecting the sounds they hear with the letters they see.

Understanding phonics helps students recognize that different letters and combinations of letters represent specific sounds. For example, knowing that the letter "b" represents the sound /b/ allows students to blend sounds together to read words. This foundational skill is essential for effective reading and writing, as it aids in the ability to sound out unfamiliar words and improve overall literacy.

In contrast, the other options revolve around different aspects of language. While word meanings relate to vocabulary and comprehension, phoneme blending involves more of the process of combining sounds rather than the structure of how those sounds relate to letters. Morpheme identification focuses on the smallest units of meaning in words, which is distinct from the phonics foundation of connecting sounds to letters. Thus, the study of symbol-sound relationships accurately defines the core of phonics.