Unit 1.1
Semivowels
Advertising
Introduction
The letters y and w, and the digraph wh represent sounds that can be considered semivowels, that is, vowels with a bit of constriction.
Form
Normally, in vowels the air is simply released by the mouth. Semivowels are vowels with a small amount of constriction and consonants in form, which do not occupy the centres of syllables.
The semivowels are:
| Uppercase | Lowercase | Phonetics |
|---|---|---|
| Y | y | /j/ |
| W | w | /w/ |
| WH | wh | /ʍ/ |
Example
- y: yes, you, young;
- w: weather, window;
- wh: what, wheel, why.
Use
Y is a palatal letter, so it is pronounced with the middle part of the tongue raised against the hard palate (which is the middle part of the roof of the mouth).
- y: voiced, vocal cords vibrate during the articulation of the semivowel;
W and wh are labialized velar letters, which need to be pronounced when the back part of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate while rounding the lips.
- w: voiced, vocal cords vibrate during the articulation of the semivowel;
- wh: voiceless, vocal cords do not vibrate during the articulation of the diagraph.
Exercises
Ambassadors
Open TextBooks are collaborative projects, with people from all over the world bringing their skills and interests to join in the compilation and dissemination of knowledge to everyone and everywhere.
Become an Ambassador and write your textbooks.
Online Teaching
Become a Books4Languages Online tutor & teacher.
More information here about how to be a tutor.
