Did you know that vowels make up half of the English language? Even if you didn’t, you might be able to guess that learning how to spell and say the correct vowel sounds is an essential skill for every English learner to master. Let’s face it, pronouncing English words correctly is one of the most challenging aspects of learning a new language. Reading, writing, and listening are all skills that will come naturally to you as you practice and study more.
However, one skill that will always be harder for you than the others is vowel pronunciation. It’s essential to practice 5th grade spelling words and be ready for any pronunciation questions on the 5th grade test. Different vowel sounds in the English language. While some aren’t a big deal, such as the difference between ”f” and ”ph,” others are so rare that you need to work extra hard to master them like those in the video.
Vowel Sounds
A quick refresher on English vowel sounds. English has three types of vowels, depending on the sound of the letters that make up the word. The vowel in the word “key” is pronounced as in the words “seek” or “bake,” whereas the vowel in the word “like” is pronounced as in the word “milk.”
There are six vowel sounds in English: short-short, short-long, long-short-long, and long-long. Sounds can change depending on where they are and what other sounds are present in a word. For example, in the word ” book,” the “o” sound is long, while in the word “coat,” it is short.
Long Vowels
The first vowel sound you will learn to spell and say correctly is the long vowel. A long vowel is longer than the other vowels.
In words like “noon,” rain,” and “sing,” the vowel is long.
Short Vowels
The second vowel sound you will learn to spell and say correctly is the short vowel. A short vowel is shorter than the other vowels. In words like “lion,” sun,” and “sing,” the vowel is short.
In words like “lion,” the vowel is short because a consonant sound follows the “o” sound in the word, so it sounds more straightforward than it would if a vowel sound followed it.
Vowel Slant
Some vowel sounds have a unique name that describes their direction. The vowel sound in “slant” is pronounced as pointing to the left or down.
Homorganic Vowels
Some vowel sounds are so rare that they only occur in one alphabet letter. We call these ”homorganic” vowel sounds because they only happen in one alphabet letter.
In the word “cot,” the “o” sound only occurs in the letter “t.”
The word “cot” has two “o” vowel sounds, but “cot” also has one “a” vowel sound in it too. The “o” sound in “cot” is pronounced as pointing down.
Fronting Vowels
Most vowels can be fronted. Fronting means that the vowel sound is pronounced as pointing in a different direction.
The word “cot” has two “o” vowel sounds, but it also has one “a” vowel sound in it too. This is because the “o” ” sound in “cot” is pronounced as pointing right or up. The letter “t” has two sides: a horizontal line and a diagonal line going down from top to bottom. The most common words have only one side of this character, so we call this side of the letter “t” ”the front”. The other side of this character we call ”the back”. When you put your tongue behind the “t” in the word “cot,” you are saying the letter’s name: “cot.”
Backing Vowels
Some vowel sounds are rare because they only occur in a word that begins with the same vowel sound. We call these “backing” vowel sounds because they occur at the back of the word.
In the word “bat,” the only vowel sound is the “a” sound at the beginning of the word.
However, in the word “bat,” the “a” sound does not occur at the back of a “t” in this case.
Spirant Vowels
Some vowel sounds are rare because they only occur in a word that ends with a consonant that also has a similar letter at its end. We call these “spirant” vowel sounds because they occur in words that end with a consonant sound like “s” or “z”.”
In some languages, there are more vowels than just one long and one short vowel, but there is no way to distinguish the long ones from the short ones.
Conclusion
Now that you know all of the vowel sounds in the English language, you are well on your way to being an expert. There are still a few more tricky vowel sounds to learn, but mastering English vowels will be a cinch once you get them down.
If you’re still struggling with any of the vocabulary test words after studying for a while, try making a list of words you know how to pronounce correctly but still have trouble with. Next, try reviewing those words until you feel confident enough to move on to other words.
However, there are more vowels in some languages than just one long and one short vowel, but there is no way to distinguish the long ones from the short ones. For example, English has only one long vowel sound and two short vowel sounds. For more information and learning about Engling you can visit: https://spellquiz.com.
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