Difference Between Vowels and Consonants

Introduction

Vowels and consonants are distinct categories of sounds. Vowels are produced when there is an unobstructed flow of air, allowing breath to freely pass through the oral cavity while the vocal cords vibrate. On the other hand, consonants are formed when there is a partial or complete obstruction in the airflow from our lungs through the mouth. The human articulatory system is responsible for this differentiation.

The movement of several speech organs, including the tongue, teeth, lips, jaw, palate, and so on, to produce sound is known as articulation. Sound is produced whenever air is exhaled from the lungs, passing down the throat and into the oral cavity. Nevertheless, when two speech organs approach and come into contact with one another, they block each other, which causes the air to take on a particular shape. Different sounds are produced in this way to speak.

Vowel Definition

Vowels are sounds produced by an open voice passage configuration that vibrates the vocal cords without obstructing the airway, making them "oral" in nature.

The tongue is the only vocal organ that produces vowel sounds. The soft palate rises during vowel production, blocking the nasal passageway. Each vowel sound is voiced because the vocal cords come together, allowing air to continuously vibrate them as it enters the lungs.

English vowels a, e, i, o, and u are represented by the alphabet, while "y" and "w" are semi-vowels that can sometimes sound like vowels. Examples include Gym, Pretty, why, Saw, and Awesome.

A syllable is formed by combining a vowel and a consonant, and hyphens are used in words like "re-assign" and "co-operation" to indicate different pronunciations.

Consonants Definition

Consonants are speech sounds created by obstructing the airflow in the mouth using various articulators, such as the teeth, tongue, palate, and lips. This obstruction can be partial, complete, periodic, or involve a slight contraction to produce friction. Almost all articulators are involved in producing a consonant sound.

In English, all letters except for the vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are considered consonants, including "y" and "w." The position of the soft palate determines the distinction between nasal and oral consonants.

An oral consonant is formed when the soft palate is raised, while a nasal consonant is produced when the soft palate is lowered.

With the exception of "m" and "n," all other letters represent nasal consonants. Furthermore, the vocal cords distinguish between voiced and voiceless consonants.

Voiced consonants like b, d, g, j, v, and z are produced when the vocal cords come together, while voiceless consonants (p, t, c, k, o, f, s, h) are created when the vocal cords remain apart and air flows freely from the lungs.

Difference between Vowels and Consonant

Conclusion

Vowels and consonants differ significantly in that vowels are unique tones that can be produced without any extra work on your part. Contrarily, consonants are not unique sounds and need some effort to generate.