![]() The human speech mechanism is capable of producing a wide range of simple and complex vowel sounds. ![]() Vowel sounds divide into MONOPHTHONGS (single vowel sounds that may be long or short), DIPHTHONGS (double vowel sounds formed by gliding from one vowel position to another), and triphthongs (triple vowel sounds formed by gliding from one through another to a third vowel position). ![]() The quality of a vowel is chiefly determined by the position of the tongue and the lips: see VOWEL QUALITY. Phonetically a vowel is a speech sound characterized by voicing (the vibration of the larynx) and by absence of obstruction or audible friction in the vocal tract, allowing the breath free passage. In general usage, the distinction between vowels in speech and writing is not always clearly made, but linguists and phoneticians seek to keep the two kinds of vowel distinct. VOWEL A term in general use and in phonetics for both a SPEECH sound that is distinct from a CONSONANT (also vowel sound) and the LETTER of the ALPHABET that represents such a speech sound (also vowel letter).
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