Long vowels a, e, i, o, and u are the second set
of vowels taught to kids, after they master the short vowels a, e, i, o, and u.
The sound of the long vowel is the same as the way we pronounce the name of the
vowel. Here, we will be talking about the long u sound /ū/, made
by several vowel combinations.
Differences between
short and long vowels:
It is quite useful here
to teach students the differences between short and long vowels.
Short vowel sounds are
mainly seen in c-v-c words. In these words, the vowel is a syllable followed by
a consonant. These sounds are also seen in v-c type of words as in an, at,
where again the vowel is followed by a consonant. The vowel in the syllable in
these words is a closed syllable as it is followed by the consonant. Such vowel
makes the short vowel sound. Therefore, short vowels are a result of closed syllables. Examples include fat,
met, bid, bog, and cut (Short vowels a, e, i, o and u respectively)
On the other hand, long vowel u
sound is often found in open syllables
as in the words, Examples: menu, uniform, unicorn, and use, etc.
S No.
|
Short Vowels
|
Long Vowels
|
1.
|
Make the short sounds
represented by /ă/, /ĕ/, /ĭ/, /ŏ/, and /ŭ/.
|
Say their own name
represented by /ā/, /ē/, /ī/, /ō/, and /ū/.
|
2.
|
Found in closed
syllables.
|
Found in open
syllables.
|
Pronunciation
of Long vowel u:
The long vowel u is a
two-sounded vowel.
It is comparatively easier to understand as it has two sounds that of a y followed by the long oo
sound, often written as “yoo”.
Firstly, begin with the
tongue the jaw closed and the tongue touches the bottom of teeth. This is as
if you would have made a /y/ sound.
Secondly, as you
continue the sound shifts towards the formation of a /oo/ sound with the lips forming
a closed circle shape. The front of the tongue and the back of the tongue feels
the fullness of sound thereby slightly elevating a bit.
Vowel
teams
such as u-e and ue make the long u sound.
Rule
to follow:
“Sound of the first vowel is dominant saying its own name and the second vowel
is silent.”
Vowel
teams that make the long u sound are:
u-e
as in the word cube
ue
as in the word hue
Other
vowel combinations (eu, ew) and vowel (u) that make the long u sound are:
eu
as in the word eucalyptus,
ew
as in the word dew,
u
as in the word unicorn.
Word list (u-e) words:
Words made by the vowel
combination u-e are
use, fuse, cube, tube,
lube, tune, cute, mule, flume, plume.
Phonetic decoding of u-e
words:
1. use: /ū/+/z/
2. cube: /c/+/ū/+/b/
3. tube: /t/+/ū/+/b/
4. lube: /l/+/ū/+/b/
5. tune: /t/+/ū/+/n/
6. fuse: /f/+/ū/+/z/
7. cute: /k/+/ū/+/t/
8. mule: /m/+/ū/+/l/
9. flume: /fl/+/ū/+/m/
10. plume: /pl/+/ū/+/m/
While teaching these
words it is important to note that the “letter e” that comes at the end is
silent. It makes the vowel in the middle to say its own name or become long.
Word list (ue) words:
Words made by the vowel
combination ue are:
hue, due, cue, argue,
revue, queue
Phonetic decoding of ue
words:
1. hue: /h/+/ū/
2. due: /d/+/ū/
3. cue: /k/+/ū/
4. argue: /ar/+/g/+/ū/
5. revue: /r/+/i/+/v/+/ū/
6. queue: /kw/+/ū/
Word list (u) words:
Words made by the vowel
combination u are:
human, duty, music. uniform,
unit, unity, unicorn, union
Phonetic decoding of u
words:
1. human: /h/+/ū/+/m/+The
Schwa+/n/
2. duty: /d/+/ū/+/t/+y
as long e
3. music: /m/+/ū/+/z/+/i/+/k/
4. uniform: /ū/+/n/+/i/+/f/+/or/+/m/
5. unit: /ū/+/n/+The
Schwa+/t/
6. unity: /ū/+/n/+The
Schwa+/t/+y as long e
7. unicorn: /ū/+/n/+/i/+/k/+/or/+/n/
8. union: /ū/+/n/+/io/
diphthong+/n/
Word list (eu) words:
Words made by the vowel
combination eu are:
deuce, feud, neutral,
neutron, eucalyptus
Phonetic decoding of eu
words:
1. deuce: /d/+/ū/+/s/
2. feud: /f/+/ū/+/d/
3. neutral: /n/+/ū/+/t/=r/+The
Schwa+/l/
4. neutron: /n/+/ū/+/t/+/r/+/on/
5. eucalyptus: /ū/+/k/+/l/+/i/+/p/+/t/+
The Schwa+/s/
Word list (ew) words:
Words made by the vowel
combination ew are:
dew, new, few, pew, skew,
knew, nephew, news
Phonetic decoding of ew
words:
1. dew: /d/+/ū/
2. new: /n/+/ū/
3. few: /f/+/ū/
4. pew: /p/+/ū/
5. skew: /sk/+/ū/
6. knew: /n/+/ū/
7. nephew: /n/+/e/+/f/+/ū/
8. news: /n/+/ū/+/z/