Vowel
Vowel
A vowel is a phonetic sound used in spoken languages that is produced by the vocal cords. It is a type of phoneme that is characterized by an open configuration of the vocal tract, allowing more airflow than consonants.
Types of Vowels[edit | edit source]
There are several types of vowels, including:
- Monophthongs: These are simple, or "pure," vowels with a single perceived auditory quality.
- Diphthongs: These are complex vowels composed of a sequence of two different configurations of the vocal tract.
- Triphthongs: These are complex vowels composed of a sequence of three different configurations of the vocal tract.
Vowel Length[edit | edit source]
In some languages, such as Finnish and Japanese, vowel length can distinguish words. This is known as a phonemic difference.
Vowel Systems[edit | edit source]
Different languages have different vowel systems. For example, the English language has a complex vowel system with many different vowel sounds, while the Spanish language has a simpler system with only five vowel sounds.
Vowel Modification[edit | edit source]
Vowels can be modified in various ways, including:
- Nasalization: This occurs when the air escapes through the nose as well as the mouth.
- Rounding: This occurs when the lips are rounded during the production of the vowel.
- Tenseness: This refers to the muscular tension involved in producing the vowel.
See Also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
Vowel Resources | |
---|---|
|
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD