In some rare cases, though, a certain sound is made by a combination of other letters (like when the long a sound is made by the letters ei).Īll vowels have at least two pronunciations: a long sound and a short sound.Ī long vowel is the name of the vowel (for example, long a is ay like in the word say). Most of the time, a vowel makes its own sound (that is, the letter a makes a sounds). In different parts of the world, like Britain, Australia and even the regional U.S., there are variations in the way people pronounce their vowels. Note: This post focuses on standard American pronunciation. When vowels are placed between consonants, all the sounds come together and a word is formed. This blocks the air coming out of your mouth when you speak, turning it into a specific sound. The sounds of consonants, on the other hand, are made by placing your tongue or lips in a certain way. It’s difficult-almost impossible-to make that sound when there’s something like your lips or your tongue in the way, isn’t it?Įvery other letter in the English alphabet is called a consonant. And now close your mouth and try one more time. Now place your tongue between your teeth or on the roof (top, inside part) of your mouth and try again. Have you ever wondered why those letters are vowels, though? They are the sounds you make without anything breaking the sound or air coming out of your mouth. The simple answer to the question above is: vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |