Expertlatin
- Do all languages have long vowels?
- What are the rules for long vowel sounds?
- Is vowel length distinctive in English?
- Are long and short vowels different allophones in English?
Do all languages have long vowels?
As noted above, only a relatively few of the world's languages make a phonemic distinction between long and short vowels; that is, saying the word with a long vowel changes the meaning over saying the same word with a short vowel.
What are the rules for long vowel sounds?
Long vowels are those in which the sounds of the letters A, E, I, O, and U match the spoken name of the letter. They are usually taught from preschool through the first grade. Oftentimes, a word with a short vowel is transformed into a long vowel by placing a silent letter "e" at the end of the word.
Is vowel length distinctive in English?
In General American English (GenAm), vowel length is not as distinctive as in RP. Clipping still occurs, but the American equivalent of the RP lax (SHORT) vowels are not always so short - in many American accents, all vowels can become lengthened for emphasis.
Are long and short vowels different allophones in English?
As you have mentioned, it's not that there are no length differences in English vowels; there are long and short allophones of vowels (allophones are different ways we actually say what we think of as the same sound), and typically we use a shorter vowel before an unvoiced consonant than we do before a voiced one ( ...
