Module 2: Linguistics
Vowels: A vowel is an open sound that is spoken without blockage from the lips or tongue. Vowels can be difficult because they are very versatile and shift and change a lot depending on the word in which they appear. Vowels are typically broken down into the following categories:
- Single vowels
- Short vowels
- Schwa
- Long vowels
- Diphthongs
Consonants: Consonants are sounds that are spoken with obstruction from the lips, teeth, or tongue. Just like vowels, they can be complicated to understand because there are so many variations of similar sounds. Consonants can be broken down into the following categories:
- Voiced consonants
- Unvoiced consonants
Minimal pair: Two words that differ in meaning because they contain one phoneme that is different are called minimal pairs. Minimal pairs are often words that rhyme or at least form a near rhyme.
Phone: A phone is the smallest unit of sound and refers to the way in which an individual pronounces a sound. It can therefore exist in more than one language. This is different from a phoneme, which refers specifically to the sound that is assigned to a letter or group of letters in a given language. For this reason, phones can be universal to all languages, while phonemes are specific to individual languages.
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