What does the term 'rime' refer to in linguistics?

The term 'rime' in linguistics specifically refers to the part of a syllable that includes the vowel sound and any consonants that follow it. This is a crucial concept in understanding phonology and the structure of syllables. For example, in the word "cat," the rime is the "at" sound, which consists of the vowel 'a' and the following consonant 't'. Understanding rime is essential for teaching reading and phonics, as it helps students recognize patterns in words and develop their decoding skills. This focus on the rime can also aid in rhyme recognition, which is an important element in reading fluency and phonemic awareness.