What is the term for the smallest unit of meaning in language?

The term for the smallest unit of meaning in language is "morpheme." Morphemes are building blocks of language that can be whole words or elements that modify the meaning of words, such as prefixes and suffixes. For example, in the word "unhappiness," "un-" is a morpheme that changes the meaning of "happy," and "happiness" itself is also a morpheme.

In contrast, other terms provided do not accurately describe a unit of meaning. A syllable refers to a single, unbroken sound of a spoken language and does not convey meaning on its own. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language, which can distinguish words but does not hold any meaning by itself. A graph, in the context of language, generally refers to a representation of data or a visual display, not a linguistic unit.

Understanding the concept of morphemes is essential for grasping how language is structured and how meaning is conveyed in communication.