THE PHONEME AND DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO THEУ INVESTIGATIONS OF THE PHENOMENON IN ITS HISTORICAL ASPECT

This article explores the historical development of the phoneme concept and the major phonological theories associated with it. It examines the contributions of Baudouin de Courtenay and the development of the Leningrad, Moscow, Prague, American, and Copenhagen schools of phonology. The study discusses the main views of the phoneme, including psychological, functional, abstract, and physical approaches, as well as the relationship between phonemes and allophones. The article concludes that, despite differing theoretical perspectives, the phoneme remains the fundamental unit of the sound system that serves to distinguish meaning in language.