Schemas are plural noun forms of schema: abstract frameworks or intelligible structures that organize knowledge or experience. They function as cognitive templates guiding interpretation, memory, and reasoning. In specialized contexts, schemas help categorize information and predict outcomes, shaping how you understand new data and respond to events.
"Researchers tested the social schemas that people use to categorize others."
"The software engineers updated the database schemas to reflect new data relationships."
"In psychology, schemas influence how we interpret ambiguous social cues."
"Cultural schemas guide expectations about social norms in different communities."
The word schema originates from the Greek skhēma, meaning 'shape, form, or figure.' It entered English via French and Latin intermediaries, initially in the sense of a plan, outline, or diagram. In cognitive psychology, the term gained prominence through the work of Piaget and Bartlett in the early 20th century, where it described the mental structures that organize knowledge. The plural form schemas follows the regular pluralization of Greek-origin words ending in -ma, changing to -mata in some technical terms, but English generally uses schemas. The meaning broadened from a literal diagram or plan to a psychological construct representing organized knowledge. First known uses appear in mid-19th to early 20th century scientific writings, with the term solidifying in cognitive science by the 1970s as researchers formalized schema theory as a framework for understanding perception, memory, and learning. Today, schemas are central across psychology, education, and information science, reflecting how people categorize, interpret, and predict the world based on prior knowledge.
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Words that rhyme with "Schemas"
-me) sounds
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Schemas is pronounced /ˈskiː.məz/ in US/UK. The primary stress is on the first syllable: 'SKEE-mas' with a long E in the first syllable and a schwa in the second. The final -s is voiced, sounding like /z/. Listen for the smooth transition between /iː/ and /mə/. Audio references: Cambridge dictionary and Forvo entries for schemas show the /ˈskiː.məz/ pattern. Note that some speakers may reduce the second syllable slightly, but keep /məz/ clearly audible.
Common mistakes include turning the first syllable into /ˈskæ/ as in cat, producing /ˈskæməz/ instead of /ˈskiː.məz/, and mispronouncing the second syllable as /sɪz/ or /mæs/ rather than /məz/. Another error is de-voicing the final /z/ to /s/ in careful speech. Correct by maintaining a long /iː/ in the first syllable and ensuring the second syllable is an unstressed /mə/ with the final /z/ released clearly. Practicing the transition using minimal pairs helps fix the /iː/ vs /ɪ/ distinction and makes the /z/ clear.
In US, UK, and AU, schemas shares the same primary stress /ˈskiː.məz/. The main differences are vowel length and rhoticity. US and AU speakers often maintain rhotic r-like quality on the first syllable’s nucleus in careful speech, while some UK varieties may be non-rhotic and rely on a shorter /iː/ with less vowel length contrast. The second syllable /məz/ remains a weak syllable with a voiced /z/. Overall, the differences are subtle; ensure the /ˈskiː.məz/ pattern remains consistent, and keep the final /z/ voiced across dialects.
Schemas challenges include the long /iː/ in the first syllable plus the transition to a weak second syllable ending in a voiced /z/. Some speakers insert an extra vowel or reduce the first syllable to /ˈskɪ/ leading to mis-stress. The cluster /skiː/ followed by /məz/ can cause Italians or some non-native speakers to misplace emphasis or blur the second syllable. Focus on keeping a clear, stressed /ˈskiː/ and a concise /məz/ with a final voiced /z/.
No letters are silent in schemas. All letters contribute to pronunciation: /ˈskiː.məz/. The 'ch' sound common in schema (singular) is not present here; instead, the word uses a simple consonant-vowel-consonant pattern. The final 's' is pronounced as a voiced /z/ in this plural form. Pay attention to the /ˈskiː/ onset and the unstressed /mə/ before the final /z/.
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