Lauren
If you’ve ever watched Wheel of Fortune, you know just how important vowels can be. We use them in just about every word in the English language, and they are usually our first guesses when we play a game of hangman.
But while everyone would agree that vowels are a significant part of our lexicon, many people have no idea how vowels came to be in the first place.
Here is a bit of history about vowels that might help you gain a deeper appreciation:
Why are vowels called vowels?
Although their name might sound weird, vowels did not receive their name arbitrarily. The word vowel comes from the Latin word vox which means “voice.” This is because vowels have to do with your voice and the speech sounds you make as you pronounce them.
When you say a e i o u or y, your voice is completely opened up because your tongue, teeth, and lips are not restricting your airflow.
Take a second and make an “a” sound. Uninhibited airflow right? Now make a “b” sound. Notice how your lips have to touch and your airflow is restricted? This difference is what makes the former a vowel and the latter a consonant.
How were vowels developed?
The earliest form of the alphabet that went beyond just drawings and symbols was the Phonecian alphabet, which was developed around 1,500 BC and consisted of 22 letters.
This alphabet became the building block for what is known as the first “true” alphabet: the Greek alphabet. Around 400 BC, the Greek’s adopted the Phonecian alphabet and altered it so that it
This included the addition of separate letters for vowels, which were more commonly used in Greek and were able to replace some Phonecian consonants that the Greeks did not use in their language.
Both the Phoneican and the Greek alphabet use acrophony, meaning that the name for a letter begins with that letter. When the Greeks adapted the Phonecian alphabet, there were letter names which, while starting with consonant sounds for the Phonecians, began with vowel sounds for the Greeks. Thus, vowels became included in the alphabet and are a significant part of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that we use today with American English.
Why do people pronounce them differently?
Although the vowels are the same, people who speak with different dialects of English often pronounce them differently.
This difference is one of the main reasons why movie characters typically swoon over a hero with a thick British or Australian accent.
One of the major reasons for this difference is known as The Great Vowel Shift.
Between 1400 and 1700, factors like immigration and migration, the war with France, and class differences contributed to forming different dialects of English where people pronounce long vowel sounds in different ways. Whether they were trying to stretch out their vowels to avoid sounding French or to separate themselves from individuals in lower classes, people in some English areas began to elongate their vowels while others did not.
This Great Vowel Shift is a major reason why people who speak English might pronounce their vowels differently than someone who speaks English and lives in another area.
Are there words that don’t use vowels?
While vowels are a significant part of word formation, there are a few words in the English language which do not use them.
The next time you want to impress your friends while playing Scrabble, try playing one of the following vowel-less words:
- Nth
- Tsk
- Shh
- Psst
- Hmm
The next time you use a e i o or u (and sometimes y), or you hear “I’d like to buy a vowel” when you’re watching television, you will know the history behind these vowels and why they are so important.
