Vowels (2): long vowels and diphthongs

Abstract

In this chapter we look at the distribution of long vowels in English. We note that the set of these vowels can reliably be associated with those Cardinal reference points on a vowel trapezium that we first looked at in chapter 8. Therefore we can speak fairly confidently about the existence of ‘high front/back vowels’, ‘low front/back’ and so forth.