Vowels and ConsonantsSYAKILA, SYALINA AND FAUZAN

IPG Kampus Tun Abdul Razak,Jalan Datuk Mohd Musa, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

What is vowels?

A speech sound made by completely or partly stopping the flow of air being breathed out through the mouth.

( Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries)

What is consonants?

A speech sound in which the mouth is open and the tongue is not touching the top of the mouth, the teeth, etc

( Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries)

Different between Vowel and Consonant

Vowels are voiced sounds made with the mouth open.

Consonants are sounds blocked by the tongue, teeth or lips. They can be voiced or unvoiced.

Vow

el

CO

nso

nant

Different between Vowel and Consonant

A vowel is the letters A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y. 

A consonant is every other letter. - B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z

Vow

el

CO

nso

nant

The difference explains why “y” is only “sometimes” a vowel

 Depending on which word “y” is being used in, it can represent different sounds. In words like “myth” or “hymn,” the letter takes on a sound like a short “i” and the mouth and throat don’t close when the sound is made.

However, in words like “beyond,” it acts as a bridge between the “e” and the “o,” and there is some partial closure, making “y” a consonant.

For example,

Pretty, Bicycle, Why – y sound like ‘I”, so y in these words are vowels.

You, Yes - Consonant

Why we need to stress certain vowels and consonant?

English is a stressed language.

Word stress plays an important role in correct pronounciation of English words.

It is not just optional for English language but a very essential and important part of the language.

Why we need to stress certain vowels and consonant?

Word stress help English speaker to communicate accurately and fluently.

For example, even if one do not hear a word clearly but one can still understand the word because of where the stress is placed in the word.

If one uses word stress in his/her speech, one can really improve his/her communication and comprehension.

Thank you