Whereas Phonemes Convey Meaning and Phones May Convey Meaning but Don't

Question

Whereas phonemes convey meaning and phones may convey meaning but don't have to,
A) Allophones always convey meaning
B) Allophones sometimes convey meaning
C) Allophones never convey meaning
D) Allophones either convey meaning or not depending on which kind of phone one is speaking on.

Accepted Answer

Allophones never convey meaning on their own. They are variants of a phoneme and do not distinguish different words in a language. The meaning is conveyed by the specific combination of phonemes that create words.