"A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract."
Speech sounds produced with an open vocal tract and without a significant constriction of the lips, tongue, or throat.
Vowel Definition: Understanding what vowels are and how they differ from consonants is essential when studying vowels. Vowels are speech sounds that are made by voicing the vocal cords and the free passage of air through the mouth.
Vowel Articulation: This topic focuses on how vowels are formed by the position of the tongue, lips, and jaw in the mouth. The position of the tongue, lips, and jaw changes to produce different vowel sounds.
Vowel Types: There are three types of vowels: monophthongs, diphthongs, and triphthongs. Monophthongs are single vowel sounds; diphthongs are two-vowel sounds that glide from one vowel to another, and triphthongs are three-vowel sounds.
Vowel Phonemes: Vowel phonemes are the smallest units of sound that are used to distinguish words. For example, the vowel sound in "bat" is different from the vowel sound in "bet.".
Vowel Acoustics: This topic explores how vowels are perceived by the ear and how they are represented in acoustic waves.
Vowel Classification: Vowels can be classified according to their duration, intensity, and formant frequencies. Formant frequencies are the resonant frequencies of the vocal tract.
Vowel Transcription: Vowels can be transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The IPA is a system of symbols used to represent the sounds of all human languages.
Vowel Languages: Different languages have different vowel inventories and vowel systems. The study of vowel systems in different languages can help to understand the phonetic and phonological properties of those languages.
Vowel Diacritics: Diacritics are specialized symbols used in phonetics to indicate specific phonetic features of vowels, such as nasalization, tension, and rounding.
Vowel Variation: Vowel sounds can vary depending on different factors, such as dialect, speech style, and individual speakers. Understanding the variation in vowel sounds can help to understand the complexity of human speech production and perception.
Long vowels: These vowels are pronounced for an extended period and are represented by a double vowel letter or a vowel + consonant + e in English. For example, the word "bee" or "ride.".
Short vowels: These vowels are pronounced quickly and with less duration than long vowels. They are represented by a single vowel letter in English. For example, the word "cat" or "pin.".
Diphthongs: These are vowels made up of two sounds pronounced together as one syllable. These are represented by two vowel letters in English, such as the "oi" in "oil" or the "au" in "caught.".
Reduced vowels: These are the unstressed, short vowel sounds that occur in certain syllables in English, such as the second syllable in "banana" or the first syllable in "atomic.".
Middle Vowels: These vowels are produced at the middle of the vocal tract, such as the vowel sound in "bud," "cut," "put," and "hurry.".
High Vowels: These vowels are produced with a high position of the tongue in the mouth, such as the vowel sound in "too," "you," and "me.".
Low Vowels: These vowels are produced with the tongue in a low position in the mouth, such as the vowel sound in "ah," "car," and "father.".
Front Vowels: These vowels are produced with the front of the tongue near the front teeth, such as the vowel sound in "see," "key," and "meet.".
Back Vowels: These vowels are produced with the back of the tongue near the back of the mouth, such as the vowel sound in "so," "go," and "boot.".
"Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant."
"Vowels vary in quality, in loudness, and also in quantity (length)."
"They are usually voiced and are closely involved in prosodic variation such as tone, intonation, and stress."
"The word vowel comes from the Latin word vocalis, meaning 'vocal' (i.e., relating to the voice)."
"In English, the word vowel is commonly used to refer both to vowel sounds and to the written symbols that represent them (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y)."
"A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract."
"They are closely involved in prosodic variation such as tone, intonation, and stress."
"They are usually voiced..."
"The word vowel comes from the Latin word vocalis, meaning 'vocal' (i.e., relating to the voice)."
"Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant."
"They are usually voiced..."
"They are closely involved in prosodic variation such as tone, intonation, and stress."
"In English, the word vowel is commonly used to refer... to the written symbols that represent them (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y)."
"A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract."
"...to the written symbols that represent them..." (Note: This quote refers specifically to the written symbols)
"...a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y."
"Vowels vary in... quantity (length)."
"They are closely involved in prosodic variation such as tone..."
"In English, the word vowel is commonly used to refer to vowel sounds..."