mẫu âm
Definition
- Noun:
- Vowel: In phonetics and linguistics, a "mẫu âm" is a speech sound produced with an open vocal tract, without any significant constriction or blockage of airflow. It is the nucleus or core sound of a syllable.
- Vowel letter: It can also refer to the letter of the alphabet that represents such a sound (e.g., a, ă, â, e, ê, i, o, ô, ơ, u, ư, y in the Vietnamese alphabet).
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Tiếng Việt có nhiều mẫu âm đơn và mẫu âm đôi. (Vietnamese has many single vowels and diphthongs.)
- Trong từ "cơm", mẫu âm "ơ" là âm chính. (In the word "cơm", the vowel "ơ" is the main sound.)
- Hãy đánh vần các mẫu âm. (Please spell the vowel letters.)
Advanced Usage
- In linguistic analysis, "mẫu âm" is specifically contrasted with "phụ âm" (consonant). The quality of a vowel is determined by the position of the tongue and the shape of the lips.
- Sự khác biệt giữa mẫu âm và phụ âm nằm ở luồng khí. (The difference between a vowel and a consonant lies in the airflow.)
Variants and Related Words
- Nguyên âm (n): This is a direct synonym for "mẫu âm," also meaning .
- Phụ âm (n): ; a speech sound made by partially or completely blocking the airflow.
- Bán nguyên âm (n): or ; a sound that functions phonetically like a vowel but structurally like a consonant (e.g., the sounds represented by "u" and "i" in "huỳnh" or "khoai").
Synonyms
- Vowel: The primary and most accurate synonym in English.
- Vowel sound: Emphasizes the phonetic aspect.
- Vowel letter: Emphasizes the written, orthographic aspect.
Related Concepts
- Âm tiết (n): ; a unit of pronunciation containing one vowel sound.
- Nguyên âm đôi (n): ; a complex vowel sound that begins with one vowel and glides into another within the same syllable (e.g., "ai", "ao").
- Độ mở của *mẫu âm; refers to how open the mouth is when producing the vowel (e.g., open vowel, close vowel).