Which statement correctly defines phonemic inventory?

• A. A list of all phones an individual can produce.
• B. A repertoire of phonemes used contrastively to distinguish meaning.
• C. The set of phonotactic constraints of a language.
• D. The average rate of speech.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is about the mental sound units that actually change meaning in a language. A phonemic inventory is the set of phonemes a language uses to distinguish words. Phonemes are the abstract sound units that, when swapped, can produce different meanings. The sounds you hear in practicing speech are phones, and a single phoneme can have several realizations (allophones) depending on context. So the inventory focuses on contrasts that matter for meaning, not every produced sound.

That’s why this option is the best: it describes a repertoire of phonemes used contrastively to distinguish meaning. It’s not about every possible sound a speaker can produce (which would include allophones), not about the constraints on which sound sequences can occur (phonotactics), and not about how fast someone speaks (rate of speech).