1.

**Vowels:**

- Vowels are produced by allowing the airstream to flow through the vocal tract without any significant
constriction.

- They are characterized by the position of the tongue and lips. Vowels play a crucial role in forming the
nucleus of a syllable.

2. **Short vowels:**

- Short vowels are pronounced with a brief duration, and the tongue doesn’t linger in a specific
position for an extended time.

- Examples:

- **/æ/ (as in “cat”):** The tongue is positioned low and towards the front of the mouth.

- **/ɛ/ (as in “bed”):** The tongue is mid and front.

- **/ɪ/ (as in “sit”):** The tongue is high and front.

- **/ɒ/ (as in “hop”):** The tongue is low and back.

- **/ʌ/ (as in “cup”):** The tongue is mid and back.

3. **Long vowels:**

- Long vowels are pronounced with a more extended duration, and the tongue remains in a specific
position for a longer time.

- Examples:

- **/eɪ/ (as in “cake”):** The tongue glides from a mid-front to a high-front position.

- **/iː/ (as in “see”):** The tongue is high and front.

- **/aɪ/ (as in “ride”):** The tongue glides from a low-front to a high-front position.

- **/oʊ/ (as in “go”):** The tongue glides from a mid-back to a high-back position.

- **/juː/ (as in “cube”):** The tongue glides from a mid-front to a high-front position.

4. **Diphthongs:**

- Diphthongs involve a smooth, gliding transition between two vowel sounds within the same syllable.
 - Examples:

- **/ɔɪ/ (as in “boy”):** The sound starts with an open-mid back vowel and glides to a high-front
vowel.

- **/ɔʊ/ (as in “loud”):** The sound starts with an open-mid back vowel and glides to a high-back
vowel.

5. **Trip thongs:**

- Triphthongs involve three vowel sounds within a single syllable, forming a complex gliding sequence.

- Example:

- **/aɪə/ (as in “fire”):** The sound transitions from a low-front vowel to a high-front vowel and then
to a mid-central vowel.

Understanding the nuances of vowel articulation and transitions provides a comprehensive grasp of the
richness and diversity of vowel sounds in linguistics.