is " Y" an vowel. ? Can this be a substitute for any vowel?

Question

The letter ' Y' has been chosen from the english alphabet. On several occations this letter is used to formulate a word. The plain rule of the language is that every word is always constituted with vowels for easy and convenient pronounciation.

Answer 1

In phonetics, it's treated as a semi-vowel. And I don't know why others are trying to make fun of this question. It's an intelligent question.

Phonetically, as I said before, /j/ (representing "y" in the phonetic alphabet) is a semi-vowel.

And the following is from wikipedia;

"In the International Phonetic Alphabet, [y] corresponds to the close front rounded vowel, and the slightly different character [ʏ] corresponds to the near-close near-front rounded vowel."

You can learn more about semi-vowels by doing a search on google.

But keep in mind we're talking about sounds and not letters in the alphabet.

Answer 2

First we have to distinguish between the letters called vowels, and vowel sounds.

It is true that all words in English have at least one vowel sound. (In fact, I think that any word in any language has at least one vowel sound.)

Sounds aside, there are some letters that are also called vowels. People have chosen to call these letters "vowels" because they often represent vowel sounds. However, in English the relationship between sounds and the letters used to spell the sounds is not that close. Therefore, one vowel sound can be represented by two letters, as in "weigh", or a vowel sound in a word can be represented by letters that aren't usually considered vowels, like "rhythm". In the case of the word I just mentioned, many people would say that the letter "y" is a "vowel" because it's the letter being used to spell a vowel sound.

Please don't get confused between the way a word sounds and the way it is spelled. They are often quite different in English. The spelling of English reflects the pronunciation from a long time ago.

Answer 3

Explanation of why Y is both vowel and 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

When I was in elementary school, some # of decades ago, we were taught the vowels as

A E I O U
sometimes Y and W.

Unclear when W could be a vowel. Maybe in few, new, etc., when it's part of a diphthong.

The English language remains a mystery, eh?

Answer 5

Y Can Be A Vowel

Answer 6

Sometimes "Y" is a vowel. I don't think it can be substituted for any vowel. Not even sure what you mean with that exactly. As you know "y" is similar to "i" in vowel form but can't be substituted.

Like "by" instead of "bi." They sound the same, but have completely different meanings.

Answer 7

I think it can be considered as a vowel sometimes, cause it is a substitute for I, but its also a letter, cause it isn't always used as a vowel

Answer 8

It can be a vowel. Can't believe some posters didn't know this *sigh*

Like in my, by, easy, exactly, every.

It can't be substituted with just any other vowel.

Answer 9

The Y is used both as a vowel and a consonant.

Answer 10

y is a vowel after a consonat e.g why, tyrrant....etc. it is consonant before a vowel a, e, i, o u e. g. yellow, yack, yes, etc.... u can substitute y for any vowels but.......you might change the meaning of the word.