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User:Ghoti/Short vowel spelling

From Teflpedia
IPA vowels
æ ɑː
trap father - start
e eɪ eə
dress face square
ɪ iː ɪə
kit fleece near
ɒ əʊ ɔː
lot goat taught
ʊ uː ʊə
foot goose mature
juː jʊə
cute cure
ʌ ə ɜː
strut comma nurse
aɪ aʊ ɔɪ
price mouth choice

Short vowel spelling consists in the spelling patterns that very often, but not always, represent the so-called short sounds of the vowel letters, as in trap /æ/, dress /e/, kit /ɪ/, lot /ɒ/ [ɒ,BrE ɑːAmE], and strut /ʌ/. When "a", "o" and "u" are not stressed they sound schwa /ə/. When "e" and "i" are not stressed, they sound /ɪ/ or /ə/.

In their shortest form these patterns are VCC and VC#, where V is a single vowel, C is a consonant and # is the end of the word. This means that a short vowel spelling is a vowel followed by either two vowels, or just one vowel and the end of the word.

A better short form considers the patterns VC1[C1]# + VD# (a single or double consonant, or a digraph at the end of the word) and VCC.

VCC can be broken into VCC...# (two or more consonants after a single vowel), VC2 (a duplicate consonant in the middle of the word) and VC1C2 (two different consonants in the middle of the word).

In the cases of C1[C1] and C2 we consider "ck" to be a double consonant.

In addition, the consonant immediately following the vowel cannot be "r". Finally, the patterns VChe#, VCle# and VCre# are not considered. This means that "ache", "catastrophe", "acre", "title" (and even “bicycle" or "treble") don't have short vowel spelling even if they are followed by two consonants.

Examples[edit | edit source]

VC1[C1]# or VD#[edit | edit source]

This patterns consist in a single vowel (V) as the last vowel of the word followed by one consonant (C1), by two identical consonants (C1C1), or by a digraph (D = "ch", "ck", "gh", "ph", "sh", "th"). We also consider "tch".

This patterns have very few exceptions.

a e i o u
So-called short sound /æ/: attack, bath,AmE staffAmE, trap /e/: dress, fresh, get, hotel /ɪ/: did, fill, kit, this, until /ɒ/: across,BrE alcohol,BrE lot, upon /ʌ/: luck, run, strut
Unstressed vowel /ə/: human, local, woman /ə/: even, level, problem
/ɪ/: buses, focuses, visited 		/ə/: council, pupil
/ɪ/: tennis, victim, visit 		/ə/: bottom, person, symbol /ə/: focus, minimum, useful
Exceptions /ɔː/: all, small
/ɒ/: watch
/ɑː/: bath,BrE staffBrE
/ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: wash 		/iː/: analyses, theses /ʌ/: son
/ɔː/: across,AmE alcoholAmE 		/ʊ/: full, put
So-called long sound
with short sound spelling		 /eɪ/: bass (music) /əʊ/: control, gross, roll
Silent vowel stopped, lived

aC1[C1]# or aD#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /æ/: attack, can, that, trap
  • as /ə/: human, local, woman

Exceptions:

  • as /ɔː/: all, small
  • as /ɒ/: wad, watch
  • as /ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: wash
  • Only in BrE as /ɑː/,BrE /æ/AmE: photograph, staff

So-called long sound with short sound spelling:

  • /eɪ/: bass (music)

eC1[C1]# or eD#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /e/: dress, egg, fresh, get, hotel, stretch, when
  • as /ə/: even, level, problem
  • Plural as /ɪ/: buses, gases
  • Third person as /ɪ/: focuses, forces
  • Past tense as /ɪ/: avoided, marketed

Superseding rules

  • Plural as /iː/: analyses, theses
  • Silent past tense: stopped, lived

iC1[C1]# or iD#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as stressed /ɪ/: did, fill, kit, this, until
  • as unstressed /ɪ/: tennis, victim, visit
  • as /ə/: council, pupil

oC1[C1]# or oD#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɒ/: job, lot, not, upon
  • as /ə/: bottom, person, symbol

Exceptions:

  • as /ʌ/: son
  • Only in AmE, as /ɔː/,AmE /ɒ/BrE: across, alcohol

So-called long sound with short sound spelling:

  • /əʊ/: control, gross, roll

uC1[C1]# or uD#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ʌ/: but, luck, run, strut
  • as /ə/: focus, minimum, useful

Exceptions:

  • as /ʊ/: full, put

VCC[edit | edit source]

This pattern consists in a single vowel followed by two (or more) consonants. This pattern has many exceptions, but the conforming words are in the majority. The next three patterns are equivalent to it, and they have different degrees of reliability.

a e i o u
So-called short sound /æ/: angry, battle /e/: /ɪ/: /ɒ/: /ʌ/:
Schwa /ə/: account, admire, important
Exceptions /ɔː/: talk
/ɒ/: wander
/ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: want
/ɑː/: father
So-called long sound
with short sound spelling		 /eɪ/: ancient, strange

aCC[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /æ/: and, angry, battle, calculator, trapped
  • as /ə/: account, admire, important

Exceptions:

  • as /ɔː/: also, walk
  • as /ɒ/: wander, wasp
  • as /ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: want
  • as /ɑː/: palm, father
  • Only in BrE as /ɑː/,BrE /æ/AmE: giraffe, last

So-called long sound (/eɪ/) with short sound spelling

  • Magic e with two consonants: strange
  • Others: ancient, April, chamber

eCC[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /e/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

iCC[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɪ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

oCC[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɒ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

uCC[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ʌ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

VCC...#[edit | edit source]

Two or more consonants at the end of the word (excluding a double consonant or a digraph).

a e i o u
So-called short sound /æ/: exact /e/: attempt, help, next, project /ɪ/: /ɒ/: /ʌ/:
Schwa /ə/: important, thousandth /ə/: different, eleventh
Partial exceptions /ɪ/ or /ə/: forest, honest
/ɪ/ or /ə/ or /e/: interest
Exceptions /ɔː/: talk, warm
/ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: want
/ɑː/: palm

aCC...#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /æ/: and, exact, platform, romantic
  • as /ə/: important, thousand, thousandth

Exceptions:

  • as /ɔː/: talk, walk, warm, warmth
  • as /ɒ/: wasp
  • as /ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: want
  • as /ɑː/: palm
  • Only in BrE as /ɑː/,BrE /æ/AmE: command, last

eCC...#[edit | edit source]

This pattern (probably) does not have exceptions. In the few cases that "e" can be pronounced /ɪ/ it also can be pronounced /e/ or /ə/.

Conforming words:

  • as /e/: attempt, help, next, project
  • as /ə/: different, eleventh, government

Partial exceptions:

  • /ɪ/ or /ə/: forest, honest
  • /ɪ/ or /ə/ or /e/: interest

iCC...#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɪ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

oCC...#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɒ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

uCC...#[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ʌ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

VC2[edit | edit source]

Here a double consonant follows the vowel, but not at the end of the word, because that situation is considered in VC1[C1]#.

This pattern has very few exceptions.

a e i o u
So-called short sound /æ/: battle, giraffe,AmE rabbit /e/: intelligence, professional, tennis /ɪ/: /ɒ/: /ʌ/:
Unstressed vowel /ə/: accept, attack /ə/: excellent, necessary
/ɪ/: dessert, eccentric, effect
Exceptions /ɑː/: giraffeBrE
Silent vowel basically
Spelling anomalies stressed /ɪ/: pretty

aC2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /æ/: battle, rabbit, traffic, trapped
  • as /ə/: accept, affect, machine, totally

Exceptions:

  • Only in BrE as /ɑː/,BrE /æ/AmE: giraffe
  • Silent "a": basically, typically

eC2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /e/: intelligence, professional, reckon, tennis
  • as /ə/: excellent, intellectual, necessary
  • as /ɪ/: dessert, eccentric, effect, essential

Exceptions:

  • stressed /ɪ/ (spelling anomaly): pretty

iC2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɪ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

oC2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɒ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

uC2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ʌ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

VC1C2[edit | edit source]

Here the vowel is followed by two different consonants, but we don't consider words ending in "he" (as "ache"), "le" (as "title") or "re" (as "acre").

a e i o u
So-called short sound /æ/: angry, calculator /e/: method, question /ɪ/: /ɒ/: /ʌ/:
Unstressed vowel /ə/: admire /ə/: concentration
/ɪ/ or /ə/: acknowledge
/ɪ/: decline
Exceptions /ɒ/: wander
/ɑː/: father
So-called long sound
with short sound spelling 		/eɪ/: ancient, strange /iː/: secret
Silent letter something

aC1C2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /æ/: angry, calculator
  • as /ə/: admire

Exceptions:

  • as /ɔː/: also
  • as /ɒ/: wander
  • as /ɑː/: father

So-called long sound (/eɪ/) with short sound spelling

  • Magic e with two consonants: strange
  • Others: ancient, April, chamber

eC1C2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /e/: December, method, question, selection
  • as /ə/: absence, concentration, frequency, suddenly
  • as /ɪ/ or /ə/: acknowledge, celebrate, implementation, passenger
  • as /ɪ/: decline, exceed, respond

So-called long sound with short sound spelling:

  • /iː/: secret

Silent e:

  • something

iC1C2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɪ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

oC1C2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ɒ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

uC1C2[edit | edit source]

Conforming words:

  • as /ʌ/:
  • as /ə/:

Exceptions:

Summary[edit | edit source]

This table shows all the patterns that are part of the short vowel spelling.

  a e i o u
So-called short sound /æ/: angry, attack, bathAmE, battle, calculator, exact, staffAmE, trap /e/: attempt, dress, get, help, hotel, method, next, project, professional, question /ɪ/: did, fill, kit, this, until /ɒ/: across,BrE alcohol,BrE lot, upon /ʌ/: luck, run, strut
Unstressed vowel /ə/: accept, admire, human, important, local, thousandth, woman /ə/: concentration, different, even, level, necessary, problem

/ɪ/ or /ə/: acknowledge, forest, honest /ɪ/ or /ə/ or /e/: interest /ɪ/: buses, decline, focuses, visited

/ɪ/: tennis, victim, visit

/ə/: council, pupil

/ə/: bottom, person, symbol /ə/: focus, minimum, useful
Exceptions /ɔː/: all, small, talk, warm

/ɒ/: wad, wander
/ɑː/: bath,BrE father, giraffe,BrE palm, staffBrE
/ɒ/,BrE AmE /ɔː/AmE: want

/iː/: analyses, theses /ʌ/: son

/ɔː/: across,AmE alcoholAmE

/ʊ/: full, put
So-called long sound with short sound spelling /eɪ/: ancient, bass (music), strange /iː/: secret /əʊ/: control, gross, roll
Spelling anomalies stressed /ɪ/: pretty
Silent vowel basically something, stopped, lived
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