Lost in Phonics Land, Letters Who Live By The Rules

Lost in Phonics Land, Letters Who Live By The Rules

Cast of Characters:
The Vowels                                         And A Few Consonants
"A"-Albert                                                "C"-Calvin, or Cindy
"E"-Ellen                                                  "K"-Kim
"I"-Irene                                                   "Q"-Quincy, and
"O"-Ophelia,                                            "W"-Walter
"U"-Uma, and
"Y"-Yuri

The Story is known only in fragments, like some ancient myth:

Vowels may seem like a suspicious sort, but their surroundings tell them something important--whether their appearance will be short or long.  Let's look at the case of a well-known vowel called Albert.  As Albert the vowel goes wandering, he always looks closely at the nearest consonants.  Are they following him?  Are they being followed, too?  If a consonant is following Albert, he knows his appearance might be short, and he can be certain if the consonant comes after him alone. (e.g., fat, can, man, hat, etc.)

If someone looking like a vowel is heard following that consonant, the outcome will be the same.  But, if the vowel following the consonant is doing it silently, Albert (or any other vowel in his place) will be long. (e.g., late, fate, care, tale, tame, cute, white, rite, note, pole, mule, mute, complete)

If that first consonant was not alone, but had another consonant with him, Albert's appearance would likely to be short as well (e.g., rant, slant, laps, traps, past, sand, bend, bond, .

If Albert were out walking with another vowel, call her Ellen, there would not be much conversation.  Albert (the first vowel) would be long, but Ellen, (the second vowel) would be silent.  The same thing would happen to any other pair of vowels--If two vowels go walking, the first does all the talking.

Some consonants have a special effect on vowels.  Take r for instance.  If r follows a vowel, special things happen.  Ellen, Irene and Uma become just alike.  They all make the same sound, like a rooster (Er, er, er, errrr!).  If r follows Orville, he will be long (as in Oh!).  If r follows Albert, he will only go a short way (as in star, bar, car, tar, etc.).

Walter and Uma cast a spell on Ophelia--making her sound hurt, like when you get pinched  (ow!) unless there is an e tagging along after the w.  If Irene or Yuri follow Ophelia, she always sounds slippery just like oil.

The consonants have rules as well.  Take the consonants Calvin and Kim, their sound is hard much of the time, but mostly when they were being followed around by the vowels Albert, Ophelia or Ulysses.  If Calvin were followed by Irene or Ellen, he'd sound more sibilant (like Cindy).  Not so with Kim,    he (or she) would always sound the same.

A funny thing about consonants--if they were identical twins, they would always sound the same, as if speaking with one voice.  (ss, dd, tt, rr, ff, hh, kk, ll, mm, nn, pp, xx, zz.  Twin g's or c's will never behave like other identicals, and j's, v's and w's are not known to have twins at all.

Quincy and Uma have gone together for so long, we think they got married.  They almost always sound the same when they are together (like kw-quite, quaint, quiet, quit, quad).

Ah, but there are a few things amiss here.  Not all the letters follow all the rules.  It can't be helped, they're just like their source you know, the mouths of humans don't only utter truth.