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vowel |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
vowelSpeech sound in which air from the lungs passes through the mouth with minimal obstruction and without audible friction, like the i in fit. The word also refers to a letter representing such a sound (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y). In articulatory phonetics (see articulation), vowels are classified by tongue and lip position; for example, high vowels like the i in machine and the u in flute are both pronounced with the tongue arched high in the mouth, but in u the lips are also rounded. Single vowel sounds are monophthongs; two vowel sounds pronounced as one syllable, like the ou in round, are diphthongs. vowel [′väu̇əl] (linguistics) A voiced "open sound," in which the quality of the sound is determined by its placement in the mouth. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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A vowel is that which without impact of tongue or lip has an audible sound. J is a consonant in English, but some nations use it as a vowel -- At the enunciation of the aspirate, Fuddy-Duddy, the incapable terrapin, came to a dead halt, and before the vowel had died away up the ravine had folded up all his eight legs and lain down in the dusty road, regardless of the effect upon his derned skin. |
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