Long vowels: /eɪ/, /iː/, /oʊ/, /ɑː/, /uː/
Long Vowels in English: /eɪ/, /iː/, /oʊ/, /ɑː/, /uː/
These five vowels are considered “long” in English because they are typically pronounced with a longer duration and a lower pitch than their shorter counterparts.
/eɪ/
- Pronunciation: As in “bait”, “great”, “eight”
- Characteristics: Diphthong, starting with /e/ and gliding to /ɪ/.
- Examples: “cake”, “take”, “make”
/iː/
- Pronunciation: As in “beat”, “eat”, “feet”
- Characteristics: Close front unrounded vowel.
- Examples: “see”, “tree”, “free”
/oʊ/
- Pronunciation: As in “boat”, “coat”, “goat”
- Characteristics: Diphthong, starting with /o/ and gliding to /ʊ/.
- Examples: “road”, “load”, “toad”
/ɑː/
- Pronunciation: As in “bar”, “car”, “far”
- Characteristics: Open back unrounded vowel.
- Examples: “star”, “jar”, “scar”
/uː/
- Pronunciation: As in “boot”, “hoot”, “root”
- Characteristics: Close back rounded vowel.
- Examples: “blue”, “true”, “glue”
Key points to remember:
- Longer duration: These vowels are typically pronounced with a longer duration than their shorter counterparts.
- Lower pitch: They tend to have a lower pitch than shorter vowels.
- Diphthongs: Some of these vowels are diphthongs, meaning they involve a glide from one vowel sound to another.
- Rounded or unrounded: Some of these vowels are rounded (i.e., the lips are rounded during pronunciation), while others are unrounded.
Practice: Try saying words containing these vowels to familiarize yourself with their sounds and pronunciations.
