When did Y cease to be used as a vowel - yes there were six A E I O U and Y ????

Answer 1

Vowels are, strictly speaking, sounds, not letters of the alphabet.
The letters of the alphabet used to represent vowel sounds are a, e, i, o, u, w, and y.

The sound of "w" in "water" and of "y" in "yes" are called semi-vowels or glides; however, these glide sounds are not the only sounds which "w" and "y" represent. They can represent full vowels as well, as in "crwth" and "cyst" and "sky".

Furthermore, "w" is associated with "u" and "y" is associated with "i", so that "u" and "i" also represent the glide sounds in "water" and "yes", as in "quite" and "onion". Had history gone a little differently, we might now be spelling these last two as "qwite" and "onyon"!

So the little clause "and sometimes 'y'" is really a misleading little clause. It presupposes that the glide sound in "yes" is to be considered a consonant. Otherwise, the "y" would be considered a vowel the same as "a, e, i, o, u", i.e., always a vowel. And if "y" is not a vowel when a glide, then neither is "i", and there should be another clause saying that "i" is "only sometimes a vowel", it not being so when it represents a glide (as in "onion").

In summary, "i", "u", "y", and "w" are all used to represent both glides (semi-vowels) and full vowels.

By the way, there are a few "words", if we can truly call them that, which have no vowels:
Shhhh!!! Pssst!!! Sssss! Pff! Hmm. Mmm.

Answer 2

Okay, so I found this on Wiki. I already knew that the vowels were AEIOU and that there was one in each word, which is why Y is sometimes suggested as a vowel, but had no idea why until I read this:

In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by an open configuration of the vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, which are characterized by a constriction or closure at one or more points along the vocal tract. A vowel is also understood to be syllabic: an equivalent open but non-syllabic sound is called a semivowel.

The name "vowel" is often used for the symbols used for representing vowel sounds in a language's writing system, particularly if the language uses an alphabet. In the Latin alphabet, the vowel letters are A, E, I, O, U, and Y; in addition, extensions of the Latin alphabet have independent vowel letters such as Ä, Ö, Ü, Å, Æ, and Ø. The phonetic values vary by language, and some languages use I and Y for the consonant [j], e.g. initial I in Romanian and initial Y in English. Some languages using the Latin alphabet may use other letters to represent vowel sounds: for example, in Welsh, the letter W stands for [u] or [ʊ], while in Creek the letter V stands for [ə].

PS Funky cannot count! Unless she has altered it, she says that there are 6 vowels: A,E,I,O,U.

Answer 3

Yes, the letter Y is a vowel or a consonant! In terms of sound, a vowel is 'a speech sound which is produced by comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract, with vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction...', while a consonant is 'a basic speech sound in which the breath is at least partly obstructed' (definitions from the New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1998). The letter Y can be used to represent different sounds in different words, and can therefore fit either definition. In myth or hymn it is clearly a vowel, and also in words such as my, where it stands for a diphthong (a combination of two vowel sounds). On the other hand, in a word like beyond there is an obstacle to the breath which can be heard between two vowels, and the same sound begins words like young and yes. (This consonant sound, like that of the letter W, is sometimes called a 'semivowel' because it is made in a similar way to a vowel, but functions in contrast to vowels when used in words.) Whether the letter Y is a vowel or a consonant is therefore rather an arbitrary decision. The letter is probably more often used as a vowel, but in this role is often interchangeable with the letter I. However, the consonant sound is not consistently represented in English spelling by any other letter, and perhaps for this reason Y tends traditionally to be counted among the consonants.

Answer 4

Ok...here comes the age bit... when I was at school in the 1960's (no I'll not say which end of the school system!), we were taught there are 5 (five) vowels... Y was never CALLED a vowel although it was admitted that Y could sometimes replace a vowel. So I guess I could ask when did it become a vowel?

Answer 5

I am in 9th grade and I have never heard of Y being a vowel. To me there are only 6 vowels and they are A,E,I,O,U.

Answer 6

Y is still used as a vowel....in the word "rhythm" for example

Answer 7

the vowel's are A E I O U....NOT Y what school did you go to

Answer 8

Its an either or letter. Depends on both the spelling of the word and the accent of the person reading it. I don't know of a date when it "changed" because I still teach it as both.

Answer 9

Maybe you went to a different school to me


I NEVER heard of 'Y' being a vowel


You thinking of somebody that should give money to someone else


then that would be an 'IOU'

maybe that where you get it


bcoz peeps say 'Y' I dunner owe you

Answer 10

hey man...i didnt even know y was a vowel...come to think of it i didnt know o and u were either..and yesterday my friend told me that free was number..woow..im off to smoke anothe joint.....peace people!!