Pronunciation of Vowels

AEIOU are vowels. In American English there are 20 different sounds for these 5 letters of the alphabet.

Consonants are BCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVWXYZ

Some Generalizations (Not Rules) about English vowels and spelling
English vowels have long and short forms.
The long form is the name of the letter:
A E I O U /ey//i//ai//o/ or /ou//u/ or /yu/

The short form is as follows:
a e i o u
"ae"/e//I/"ah""uh"

Long vowels usually (but not always) have a second (silent) vowel in the same syllable:
sheep bait heat loaf like mice tune peace juice hoe leave
jay slow pony (Sometimes y and w can function as a second vowel.)

Short vowels usually stand alone within a syllable and are often followed by double consonants:
ran jet cup doll kiss tick lamb witch fast hint punch

Note the difference:
hope hop hoped hopped hoping hopping
tiny tinny

Exceptions:
head give gone (sound is short despite silent second vowel)
sign find light (sound is long despite no silent second vowel)
lead live read (two pronunciations: long or short)

Contrast long e with short i
Practice these sounds of eey and i
Sheep ship
Heel hill
Seat sit
Cheeks chicks


In the computer lab, you can practice your pronunciation with American English Pronunciation. Ask your instructor for the CD to use in class.

Pronunciation Resources on the Internet
Pronunciation of vowel sounds (sheep/ship)
http://www.manythings.com
Hear the vowels and learn their symbols -
http://www.englishwebguide.com/out_frame.php?PHPSESSID=b830cd69e201e0eb8eaabd3266400137&ID=165
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