In first grade, we were taught that the letters One, e, I, o, FriendAnd sometimes y are vowels. Most of us have probably accepted what we’ve been told (it’s just another “rule” we have to follow), and never questioned why the last part is true (there are other things to ask, such as snack time). In addition, we accept unconditionally that the other 20 letters of the English alphabet are fully consonant. To most, those vowels and consonants are just letters, but for first graders aspiring to be linguists, they’re more than just lines of text on a page.
Speaking of snack time, when is it…?
Technically, the terms vowel And consonant (from Latin vocalismeans “vocal” and Latin chords, “to sound together”) refers to specific speech sounds: a vowel is produced when your mouth is open and your tongue is in the center of your mouth without touching your teeth, lips, etc. less control of air flowing while emitting a vowel); on the other hand, a consonant is one (such as \p\, \d\, or \s\) that is produced by partially or completely blocking the flow of air exhaled from the mouth by the tongue, teeth, or lips. , etc. What’s so special about the letter? y is that it can represent both types of speech sounds—depending on where it is and the letters around it in a word.
Y is considered a vowel if…
This word has no other vowels: gym, Mine.
The letter at the end of a word or syllable: candy, refuse, bicycle, acrylic.
Letter in the middle of a syllable: system, borborygmus.
In such cases, the letter y pronounced as one of two long vowels e either short or long I (usually long I at the end of a word)—and, for all intents and purposes, a vowel. When y forming a diphthong—two vowels joined together in a syllable to form a speech sound, such as the “oy” in toy“ay” in dayand “ey” in monkey—it is also considered a vowel.
Representative, y represents a consonant when it begins a word or a syllable, as in yard, lawyeror throughout. Technically, this \y\ is considered a semi-vowel or slip, which is a less prominent vowel pronunciation that occurs in the pronunciation of two consecutive vowels that are unequal in prominence. . For example, there is a very short long time e sound when pronouncing \y\ in Correct. Unobstructed airflow when pronouncing \y\ (if it’s y will be a real consonant); however, the mouth is not fully open as when pronouncing the vowel \y\ in early. The result is a vowel-like consonant.
Linguistically, the “sometimes” part of the elementary school lesson makes no sense, because the letter y usually pronounced as a vowel. But its consonant is unique, and that seems to be the reason why y usually considered a consonant and only “sometimes” a vowel. In other words, we need y more like a consonant in the English language than a vowel.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
