A kindergarten teacher is having students identify which spoken words end with the same sound. What language system is the teacher focusing on?

The teacher is focusing on phonology, which is the study of the sound structures of language. By having students identify spoken words that end with the same sound, the teacher is drawing attention to the phonetic components of words, specifically their auditory qualities and how they are organized into patterns of sounds. This activity helps students develop phonemic awareness, a key skill that is crucial for later reading and spelling success.

In contrast, syntax pertains to the rules that govern sentence structure and the arrangement of words, while semantics involves the meaning of words and sentences. Morphology focuses on the structure of words and the meaningful components that compose them, such as prefixes and suffixes. None of these areas directly relate to the identification of shared ending sounds, making phonology the appropriate and correct focus in this context.