What is Y?

Question

The letter Y is like the Tomato of letters. Is it a Vowel or Constanent?

In my opinion it is more a vowel than all the other vowels because it can make the long A sound in Hey and Hay, The long E sound in almost every other word like happy and family, and the long I sound in the word why.

I will award 10 points and the right to brag to whoever can give me the best argument stating that Y is a constenant. If you agree with me, just answer truthfully and take your 2 points. If you really have an argument, state it.

P.S. The argument, Y makes a short y sound in the words yes and yeah dosen't count.

P.S.S. This is just a contest for my own amusment.

P.S.S.S. Micheal Jackson is gay.

@kate. Sorry, but you are wrong. What about the word WHY. Neither W or H are vowels, so obviously Y is the vowel.

@Mary Beth. Thank you very much.

@lkajsfdl. I'm going to choose yours as the best answer tomorrow because I have to wait 4 hours before I can choose one.

@Jacqc. sorry man, if lkajsfdl didn't answer first and if I actually understood yours as well as i understood his, I would give you the 10 points.

Answer 1

Think of it this way: sound is more important than letters in any language. That's one of the reasons why we often have so many spelling doubts and the like.

Y, just as W, is from convention a consonant. But the thing is: it stands for a vowel sound, or a combination of vowel sounds. But its use is rather more like that of a consonant. For instance:

In the word "yes", it represents the same sound as a double-E, like in the word "see". But in "yes", it is such a short sound that it is hardly noticeable. This is why Y is considered a consonant.

Notice also that there is a huge difference between what Y stands for in the word "yes" and in the word "toy". In the second word, it is an entirely different sound, which is actually more like a closed E (as in the word "ten").

Notice that both of these sounds are quite short and are either on the left or on the right of a normal vowel. So, because Y (like W in "wave" or "now") can be combined with vowels in this manner, lengthening normal vowels as in the words "hey" and "hay" that you've mentioned, it works more like a consonant than like a vowel, and so it is considered a consonant.

It can also stand for a normal vowel sound, either long or short, in combination with no normal vowels -- again, as in the words "happy" and "family" that you've mentioned. And as for the word "why", notice that it actually stands for TWO sounds, not just one: the first is an "aah" sound, the second one is a short "i" sound (as in the word "sit").

Sound is everything here. There's not much use in trying to establish direct relationships between what you see and what you hear, because, as you'll notice, what you get is a lot of ambiguities. That is to say, why should one letter have to stand for so many different things? It can be a medium-duration vowel sound ("happy"), it can be a shorter vowel sound ("yes"), and it can even be a combination of two ("by") or even THREE (the name of the letter Y itself: oo-aah-ee) sounds. But it is considered a consonant because of the way it's used.

Hope this helps. :P

Answer 2

In English, the letter written orthographically as Y can have functions as both a consonant (not "Constanent") and a vowel. Its function and pronunciation will vary depending upon the environment in which Y occurs.

In phonetics, the system used for describing language sounds, there is no one Y. There are consonant sounds realised in words like 'year' and 'yellow' and vowel sounds, realised in words like 'myth' or 'ply'. The letter shapes /Y/ and /y/ are used in phonetics to represent vowel sounds. The sounds represented by these symbols do not occur in most dialects of English. The sound made at the start of 'you' or 'yolk' and represented orthographically as 'y' is known as an approximant because of the way in which it is produced.

Orthography (writing) does not always reflect pronunciation in English, so it's not fair to unequivocally state that Y is a consonant because it does have function as a vowel, and it is equally not fair to say that it is a vowel, because it clearly has function as a consonant.

My ultimate argument is that the orthographical letter Y is neither a vowel nor a consonant, but both: a semi-vowel. But you asked for an argument as to why Y is not a vowel, so here you go:

The traditional place in English, as established by printers and dictionary- makers, of orthographic Y is as a consonant. Don't believe me? Just watch Wheel of Fortune...

Answer 3

Y is a consonant because every word in the English language must contain a vowel, and every word with a Y in it already has a vowel and no word uses just a Y on its own as the vowel.... if that makes sense

Answer 4

"Y" is consonant in its form as this letter is singularly read as "wai". Whereas, vowel ceates the sound of the full word - A E I O U - in the english alphabets.

You see, without "A E I O U", your "Y" will not sound as A in Hey or Hay; or the long E sound in happy and family if not accompanied by another consonant letter; or the long I sound in the word why.

Letter Y is to enhance the long vowel sound of the word, otherwise this remains to be a consonsant letter in the english alphabet.

Answer 5

You're funny!

Haha...I so agree about the tomato thing.

But it is a constanent, with the excepion of being a vowel in some cases.

It's just the law of Grammar, don't question it just accept it.

Anywho, your question is probably the most intelligent and amusing one I've ever read on here. Kudos to you!

~*cheers*~

Answer 6

Y + Y = 2Y why you ask? Lets say Y is a million cupcake: so istead of y + y you might have: a million cupcake + a million cupcake = two cupakes Y x Y = Y^two ( y squared) Why you ask? Lets say Y is two so as an alternative of getting Y x Y yo have: two x two = four four is the identical as two^two (two squared) that is considering two can pass in it two occasions Just like 25 = five^two (five squared) that is considering five can pass in it five occasions (5x5) To support you appreciate it extra we could take: Y x Y x Y = Y^three (Y cubed) Just like two^three (two cubed) is eight (2x2x2) or an convenient method whilst multipling any letter: rely the quantity of the letters tbat offers you the index quantity (the small quantity that is above the letter) Hoped I helped you appreciate it!

Answer 7

The letter y is a consonant when it is the first letter of a syllable that has more than one letter. If y is anywhere else in the syllable, it is a vowel.


Y as a consonant:

Yell

Y as a vowel:

Bryan

Answer 8

Its what it is! Why try to figure it out? Just use the letter Y how you want to use it.

Answer 9

Go to bed!

Answer 10

I don't think so.. maybe you mispronouncing..