Now say /a/ as in “apple” and feel how relaxed your tongue is by comparison. Say “A” and feel the tension in your tongue. They are referred to as tense vowels because the muscles in your tongue are tense when you say them. Teachers use the phrases “long vowel” and “short vowel,” whereas linguists use the phrases “tense vowels” and “lax vowels,” respectively. It is important to understand terminology while learning about sound. Lowercase vowel letters, /a/, represent the first sound of the phonogram (short sound)and capital vowel letters, /A/, represent the second sound of the phonogram (its name). Key for sounds and symbols Literacy Essentials Key to standardize how sounds are represented and read in this text:Ī phonogram letters in brackets are read as the phonogram with all sounds and text needed to distinguish it from another.Ī single sound is represented by letters within forward slashes, /sh/, /oy/, /t/, /k/. The 3 Ways a Single Vowel Says its Name.The Multiple Sounds of A, E, I, Y, O, U.Spelling Patterns for the 6 long vowel sounds.

What is a long vowel