Vowels

The word vowel comes from the Latin word vowis meaning voice. The English language contains 5 vowels.

The 5 vowels are: a, e, i, o, u

Every word has at least one vowel. There are a few exceptions such as:

These words use the letter y instead of a vowel.

A very few words contain all five vowels in alphabetical order:

Vowel Sounds

In terms of sound production, a vowel is a sound which has an uninterrupted air flow. Compare this with a consonant where the airflow is blocked at some point (for example, by the lips).

The most common sound in English is the vowel sound schwa which is represented thus: ə. This occurs in words like

• about - əbəʊt
• america - əmɛrɪkə

Dipthongs are two vowel sounds said as one. This occurs when the mouth changes shape during production in such words as:

• pie - paɪ
• boy - bɔɪ

The main vowel sounds in English are shown in this (simplified) IPA chart.

Vowel Production

Vowels in the Mouth

The difference in sounds between the vowels depends on the shape of the mouth and the position of the tongue and lips. Approximately speaking, the picture on the right represents the shape and position of the mouth and the vowel sounds which occur. For example:

• the sound /ɪ/ in the top left of the chart occurs with the lips almost closed and the tongue high in the mouth
• the sound /æ/ in the bottom left has the lips more open

• the sound /uː/ in the top right has the lips closed but the tongue flat
• the sound /ɑː/ has the lips open and the tongue flat

• the sound /ə/ is a "neutral" vowel sound with the mouth relaxed and the lips half-open and the tongue in the middle

You should practice making these sounds and recognising the position of your lips, tongue and mouth shape whilst you do so. When you are familiar with this you'll be able to explain the sounds more effectively to your class.

See Also

Vowels and Consonants