segments : a segmemt us a speech sound such as /m/ or /i/. Speech sounds are made by puttiong several features together. /m/, for example, is created by vibrating the vocal cords (feature: voiced), closing the mouth at the lips (feature: bilabial), andlowering the soft palate so thar air can excape through the nose (feature: nasal). These three gestures occur simultaneously. The result is a voiced bilabial nasal, /m/. Thus, segments are units that are built up from features; features are the building blocks for segments