Which term refers to the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken language?

Phonemic awareness is the term that specifically refers to the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken language. This skill is foundational for developing reading and writing abilities, as it allows individuals to understand how sounds can be combined to form words. Phonemic awareness involves activities such as recognizing rhymes, segmenting sounds in words, blending sounds to create words, and manipulating sounds by adding, deleting, or substituting them in words.

In contrast, vocabulary knowledge pertains to the understanding of words and their meanings, grammar comprehension involves understanding the structure and rules of a language, and reading fluency is the ability to read text smoothly and accurately. While all these components are essential for literacy development, they do not specifically address the auditory skills related to recognizing and working with sounds in spoken language that phonemic awareness encapsulates.