Mason Blake
The words late and lately are closely related but serve different functions in a sentence. Late is most often used as an adjective or adverb, describing something occurring after the expected time. In contrast, lately is an adverb that refers to recent times, indicating that something has happened in the near past. In the English language, there are five vowel letters—A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y—and 20 vowel sounds. Each vowel can make two different sounds: a short vowel sound and a long vowel sound. A long vowel sound occurs when a vowel sounds like its name, and a short vowel sound is when the vowel does not sound like the letter. The terms short and long are not accurate from a linguistic perspective, as they are not extended versions of each other.
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What You'll Learn
Long vowels occur when a vowel 'sounds like its name'
In English, vowels can be pronounced as either "short" or "long". Long vowels occur when a vowel "sounds like its name", meaning the full letter is pronounced in the word. For example, in the word "bake", the "a" sounds like its name, as it is pronounced as "ay". Conversely, in the word "pat", the "a" is pronounced as "ah", so it does not "sound like its name".
The terms "short" and "long" are not accurate from a linguistic perspective, at least in the case of Modern English. This is because the vowels are not actually short and long versions of the same sound. Rather, the terminology is a historical holdover due to their arising from proper vowel length in Middle English. In a phonetic transcription system that uses pronunciation respelling, "long" and "short" vowel letters are written in a form that a normal reader would know how to pronounce unambiguously. For example, "ay" or "ey" are used for /ɑː/ (a long "a"), and "ee" or "iy" are used for /iː/ (a long "i").
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the sign ː (not a colon, but two triangles facing each other in an hourglass shape; Unicode U+02D0) is used for both vowel and consonant length. This may be doubled for an extra-long sound, or the top half (ˑ) may be used to indicate that a sound is "half long". A breve is used to mark an extra-short vowel or consonant.
Short vowels usually occur when the sound of the vowel is heard, and the vowel does not sound like the letter. For example, in the word "guitar", all of the vowels have short vowel sounds because none of them sound like the letter they represent, except for the "u", which is silent. A short "i" vowel sound sounds like "eeh", for example in the word "lip". Another example is how the "i" sounds in "sip". Short vowels cannot occur at the end of a syllable in English. They must be followed by a consonant. In linguistics, they are called "checked" vowels.
In many words, vowels make a short vowel sound. However, it is very common for words to have more than one long vowel sound, more than one short vowel sound, or both long and short vowel sounds together. Examples of words with multiple long vowel sounds include "betray", which has a "long E" and a "long A" sound.
Long vowels are easy to identify because they sound like their name, but they can be tricky to learn as there are various spellings for each long vowel sound. For example, long vowels are represented by two letters like "ee" in "see", "ea" in "read", and "ie" in "tie". Vowels at the end of a syllable make a long vowel sound, for example, "me" and "hero".
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Short vowels occur when a vowel does not sound like its name
In the English language, the vowels are A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y. Each of these vowels can make two different sounds: a short vowel sound and a long vowel sound.
Long vowels, on the other hand, occur when a vowel sounds like its name, or the full letter is pronounced in the word. For example, in the word "bake", the "a" sounds like its name, pronounced as "ay". Long vowels sound the same as their spoken name, and are easy to identify because of this. For example, the vowel "a" in "bake" sounds the same as the letter "a" in the alphabet. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the sign ː (two triangles facing each other in an hourglass shape) is used to indicate a long vowel.
While the terms "short" and "long" are commonly used when teaching English, they are not accurate from a linguistic perspective, at least in the case of Modern English. This is because the vowels are not actually short and long versions of the same sound. Rather, the terminology is a historical holdover from Middle English, where vowel length was a proper phonemic factor.
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'Short' vowels are called checked vowels in linguistics
In English, short and long vowels are commonly distinguished, with the latter being longer versions of the former. However, this terminology is misleading and inaccurate from a linguistic standpoint, especially in Modern English. This is because the length of a vowel sound depends on various factors, such as the phonetic environment, including the surrounding sounds and syllable structure.
In linguistics, short vowels are called "checked" vowels. Checked vowels are those that commonly occur in stressed closed syllables and must be followed by a consonant. They are called "checked" because they are restricted and cannot end a syllable. On the other hand, long vowels, or "free" vowels, can occur in either stressed closed or open syllables and are not restricted in their placement.
The distinction between checked and free vowels is particularly relevant in English phonetics and phonology, as well as in Germanic languages. In English, there are six checked vowels: KIT, DRESS, TRAP, FOOT, STRUT, and "u/oo" as in "put" or "good". These vowels are considered checked because they cannot stand alone at the end of a syllable and must be followed by a consonant. For example, the word "pat" has a short vowel sound because the "a" is pronounced as "ah," and it does not sound like the letter "a" by itself.
Free vowels, on the other hand, have more flexibility in their placement. In the word "bake," the "a" sounds like its name ("ay"), and it is considered a long or free vowel because it is not followed immediately by a consonant. The length of a vowel sound is also influenced by the phonetic environment, such as the surrounding sounds and the accent of the speaker. For example, in American and British English, vowels tend to be pronounced longer before a voiced consonant and shorter before a voiceless consonant.
While the terms "short" and "long" are commonly used to describe vowel sounds, they may not be the most effective for teaching, especially to young children. Instead of relying solely on these terms, educators suggest teaching the sounds themselves ("the sound ay," "the sound oy," etc.) and providing clear spelling patterns for each sound. This approach helps improve literacy and pronunciation without the potential confusion caused by the misleading "short" and "long" labels.
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Long vowels can be spelled four different ways
In English, vowels can be pronounced as either "
Long vowels can be spelled in four different ways, and each follows a specific pattern. These patterns should be taught to students incrementally, one at a time. While long and short vowels are useful tags for a small subset of vowel sounds, they are not accurate from a linguistic point of view, at least in the case of Modern English. This is because the vowels are not actually short and long versions of the same sound. Instead, the terminology is a historical holdover due to their arising from proper vowel length in Middle English.
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the sign ː (two triangles facing each other in an hourglass shape) is used for both vowel and consonant length. This may be doubled for an extra-long sound, or the top half (ˑ) may be used to indicate that a sound is "half long". A breve is used to mark an extra-short vowel or consonant. In many languages, vowel length is an important phonemic factor, meaning vowel length can change word meanings. For example, in Arabic, long and short vowels are written with consonant letters in a process called mater lectionis. The long vowel /aː/ is represented by the letter ا (Alif), while the vowels /uː/ and /oː/ are represented by و (wāw).
In English, long vowels can be spelled in several ways. One way is by having a silent "e" after a consonant, which makes the preceding vowel long. For example, in the word "bake", the "e" at the end makes the "a" a long vowel. Another way is by having two vowels together, with the first vowel making the long sound. For example, in the word "thief", the "ie" together makes the "i" a long vowel. A third way is by having a vowel plus a letter Y, W, R or L, as in "ay", "ey", "oy", "aw", "ew", "ow", "ar", "er", "ir", "or", "ur", and sometimes "al" or "ol". For example, in the word "calm", the "a" and "l" together make the "a" a long vowel. Finally, the letter Y by itself is almost always a vowel spelling, as in "by", "baby", and "gym".
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Long vowels are harder to teach than short vowels
In the English language, each vowel has a short and long sound. However, the terms "short" and "long" are not accurate from a linguistic standpoint, as they are not longer or shorter versions of the same sound. Instead, they refer to the pronunciation of the letter in a word.
Short vowel sounds occur when the letter is not pronounced the way it sounds. They are typically represented by a single vowel letter and must be followed by a consonant. Short vowels sound quick and concise and are more common in beginner reading books.
Long vowel sounds occur when a vowel "sounds like its name", meaning the full letter is pronounced in the word. They are created by placing two vowels together or ending the word with an 'e'. Long vowels sound more drawn-out and can be spelled in multiple ways, making them harder to teach than short vowels.
When teaching long vowels, it is important to focus on easy words and simple rules, such as the silent 'e' rule, which makes the preceding vowel long. However, there are exceptions to these rules, such as the silent 'e' not typically applying to the vowel 'e'. Teaching long vowels one spelling at a time is a good strategy to overcome this challenge.
Additionally, children may struggle with vowel sounds due to a lack of auditory discrimination skills or speech sound disorders. Short vowel sound gestures, such as positioning your hands underneath your eyes for the vowel 'a', can be a useful technique to engage children and improve their learning.
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Frequently asked questions
A long vowel sound is when a vowel sounds like its name. For example, the word "bake" has a long vowel sound, as the "a" sounds like its name, pronounced as "ay".
A short vowel sound is when the vowel does not sound like its name. For example, in the word "pat", the "a" is pronounced as "ah", so it does not sound like its name.
Short vowel sounds usually occur before a consonant. A silent "e" after a consonant can also make the preceding vowel long.
No, the word "lately" does not have a long vowel sound. The "a" in "lately" is pronounced as "ay", which is a short vowel sound.
