Phonetically, too, the liquid consonants written as l, r and the nasal consonants written as m, n have some of the characteristics of vowels (such as continuous non-fricative voicing), and when used syllabically (as in the pronunciations of apple, spasm, isn't, centre) they in effect represent a preceding SCHWA vowel sound in addition to their own sound value. Phonetically, the letters w (as in win) and y (as in year) are articulated similarly to vowels, but positionally they function as consonants, initiating syllables and introducing vowels: compare wear/bear and year/fear. The five classic vowel letters of the Roman alphabet are A, E, I, O, U, to which Y is usually added apart from its syllable-initial role as a semi-vowel or semi-consonant in words like year, y functions in English largely as an alternative vowel symbol to i. As with consonants, however, in each language (or language variety) a particular range of vowels is used: for example, in standard Parisian French, there are 12 non-nasal and 4 nasal monophthongs (16 vowel sounds in all) in BrE, the basic vowel system of RP has 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs (20 vowel sounds in all) while the basic vowel system of ScoE has 10 monophthongs and 4 diphthongs (14 vowel sounds in all). The human speech mechanism is capable of producing a wide range of simple and complex vowel sounds. Vowel sounds divide into MONOPHTHONGS (single vowel sounds that may be long or short), DIPHTHONGS (double vowel sounds formed by gliding from one vowel position to another), and triphthongs (triple vowel sounds formed by gliding from one through another to a third vowel position). The quality of a vowel is chiefly determined by the position of the tongue and the lips: see VOWEL QUALITY. Phonetically a vowel is a speech sound characterized by voicing (the vibration of the larynx) and by absence of obstruction or audible friction in the vocal tract, allowing the breath free passage. In general usage, the distinction between vowels in speech and writing is not always clearly made, but linguists and phoneticians seek to keep the two kinds of vowel distinct. VOWEL A term in general use and in phonetics for both a SPEECH sound that is distinct from a CONSONANT (also vowel sound) and the LETTER of the ALPHABET that represents such a speech sound (also vowel letter).
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