E (letter): Difference between revisions
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'''E''' is the fifth letter of the [[English alphabet]]. Its name is pronounced ''ee''. | '''E''' is the fifth letter of the [[English alphabet]]. Its name is pronounced ''ee''. | ||
==Use in English== | ==Use in English== | ||
E shows various vowel sounds - or is silent. | |||
The short sound (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]): véry, héad, bést, dén, wéll, péck, néck, Bén, déath, mérry, chérish, cléft, beréft, behést, bétter, wéather sunny = whéther if, ahéad, bléd (cf. blêed) néxt, guést, thére (*dhãre). | |||
This is also the sound of said (séd). | |||
The long sound: bêat win = bêet sugar, bêach sand = bêech tree, hêat, nêat, têeth, glêe, spêak, Pêter, explêtive, delêted, relìêf, grìêve, dêar, wêary, crêam, bê is = bêe insect, bêacon, trêe, thrêe, êat, and unstressed in cóffêe, tóffêe, and the Latin aê (sometimes printed æ) nébulaê, fŏrmulaê, nôvaê, Aêschylus, and unstressed in aesthétic. | |||
Note that ea occurs for both sounds: déath, bréadth, héad, bréath noun, cf. brêathe verb, bêat, wrêath, spêak. Compare lêap present, léapt past. | |||
Unstressed (not finally) e sounds like í: becòme (final one silent) rewård, delîght, mállet, tícket. | |||
And also in contracted forms (especially BrE): he’s (= hís) she’s (*shízz - though in careful speech the sound here would be ê). | |||
e has this sound stressed in pretty (*prítty). | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 17:02, 29 February 2008
- Note, the symbol e may also refer to the base of the exponential functions - see e (math) or E (disambiguation)
E is the fifth letter of the English alphabet. Its name is pronounced ee.
Use in English
E shows various vowel sounds - or is silent.
The short sound (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English phonemes): véry, héad, bést, dén, wéll, péck, néck, Bén, déath, mérry, chérish, cléft, beréft, behést, bétter, wéather sunny = whéther if, ahéad, bléd (cf. blêed) néxt, guést, thére (*dhãre). This is also the sound of said (séd).
The long sound: bêat win = bêet sugar, bêach sand = bêech tree, hêat, nêat, têeth, glêe, spêak, Pêter, explêtive, delêted, relìêf, grìêve, dêar, wêary, crêam, bê is = bêe insect, bêacon, trêe, thrêe, êat, and unstressed in cóffêe, tóffêe, and the Latin aê (sometimes printed æ) nébulaê, fŏrmulaê, nôvaê, Aêschylus, and unstressed in aesthétic.
Note that ea occurs for both sounds: déath, bréadth, héad, bréath noun, cf. brêathe verb, bêat, wrêath, spêak. Compare lêap present, léapt past.
Unstressed (not finally) e sounds like í: becòme (final one silent) rewård, delîght, mállet, tícket. And also in contracted forms (especially BrE): he’s (= hís) she’s (*shízz - though in careful speech the sound here would be ê). e has this sound stressed in pretty (*prítty).