Vowels

Vowels are a group of speech sounds that are produced with an open vocal tract configuration. They are one of the two primary categories of sounds in spoken languages, the other being consonants. Vowels are typically characterized by their phonetic properties, including their height, backness, and roundness.

Definition

A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. 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.

Types of Vowels

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 Systems

Different languages have different vowel systems. For example, English has a relatively complex system of about 12 to 20 vowels, while Spanish has a simpler system of just five.

Vowel Length

In some languages, such as Finnish and Japanese, vowel length is a phonemic factor: it can change the meaning of a word.

Vowel Quality

Vowel quality refers to the particular characteristics of a vowel sound, determined by the position of the tongue and lips, and the degree of muscular tension.

See Also

• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Speech communication