What does phonological awareness enable an individual to understand?

Phonological awareness involves the recognition and manipulation of the sound structures in spoken words. This skill focuses specifically on the ability to hear, identify, and work with the individual sounds (phonemes) as well as larger sound units like syllables. Developing phonological awareness is a crucial foundational skill for reading, as it enables individuals to decode words by understanding how sounds correlate with letters and letter patterns. This understanding is a significant predictor of reading success, as it helps learners to segment words into their constituent sounds and blend them back together in their speech. Therefore, this choice reflects the core function of phonological awareness in the development of reading and language skills.