Editing Grapheme (section)

==Conceptualization==
There are two main opposing grapheme concepts.<ref>Kohrt, M. (1986), The term 'grapheme' in the history and theory of linguistics. In G. Augst (Ed.), ''New trends in graphemics and orthography''. Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 80–96. {{doi|10.1515/9783110867329.80}}</ref>

In the so-called ''referential conception'', graphemes are interpreted as the smallest units of writing that correspond with sounds (more accurately [[phoneme]]s). In this concept, the ''sh'' in the written English word ''shake'' would be a grapheme because it represents the phoneme [[Voiceless postalveolar fricative|/ʃ/]]. This referential concept is linked to the ''dependency hypothesis'' that claims that writing merely depicts speech.

By contrast, the ''analogical concept'' defines graphemes analogously to phonemes, i.e. via written [[minimal pair]]s such as ''shake'' vs. ''snake''. In this example, ''h'' and ''n'' are graphemes because they distinguish two words. This analogical concept is associated with the autonomy hypothesis which holds that writing is a system in its own right and should be studied independently from speech. Both concepts have weaknesses.<ref>Lockwood, D. G. (2001), Phoneme and grapheme: How parallel can they be? ''LACUS Forum'' 27, 307–316.</ref>

Some models adhere to both concepts simultaneously by including two individual units,<ref>Rezec, O. (2013), Ein differenzierteres Strukturmodell des deutschen Schriftsystems. ''Linguistische Berichte'' 234, pp. 227–254.</ref> which are given names such as ''graphemic grapheme'' for the grapheme according to the analogical conception (''h'' in ''shake''), and ''phonological-fit grapheme'' for the grapheme according to the referential concept (''sh'' in ''shake'').<ref>Herrick, E. M. (1994), Of course a structural graphemics is possible! ''LACUS Forum'' 21, pp. 413–424.</ref>

In newer concepts, in which the grapheme is interpreted [[semiotics|semiotically]] as a dyadic [[linguistic sign]],<ref>Fedorova, L. (2013), The development of graphic representation in abugida writing: The akshara’s grammar. ''Lingua Posnaniensis'' 55:2, pp. 49–66. {{doi|10.2478/linpo-2013-0013}}</ref> it is defined as a minimal unit of writing that is both lexically distinctive and corresponds with a linguistic unit ([[phoneme]], [[syllable]], or [[morpheme]]).<ref>Meletis, D. (2019), The grapheme as a universal basic unit of writing. ''Writing Systems Research''. {{doi|10.1080/17586801.2019.1697412}}</ref>