Lesson 3: English Sounds‎ > ‎3A: Vowels‎ > ‎

3A-2: Long Vowels

Aerick's video on vowels, fingerspelling, and briefs:

Vowels And Briefs

Long Vowel Chords

As in the case of EU, the four vowel keys A, O, E, and U can be combined into chords to indicate other vowel sounds. But again, it's important to remember that this isn't about combining the sounds of 'a', 'o', 'e', and 'u'. We're simply constructing unique key combinations, and assigning vowel sounds to them.

Here are all the long vowel sounds in English:

  • AEU: This is used for the 'a' sound in words like 'grape' and 'saint'
  • AOE: This is used for the 'ee' sound in words like 'seen' and 'preach'
  • AOEU: This is used for the 'i' sound in words like 'guise' and 'spite'
  • OE: This is used for the 'oh' sound in words like 'boat' and 'grown'
  • AOU: This is used for two types of sounds:
    • The 'oo' sound in words like 'glue', but not when spelled "oo"
    • The 'ew' sound in words like 'few'
 
Open Fig. 1: The Long Vowels

Exercise: Long Vowel Chords

Try stroking these words, using the consonants covered in Lesson 1: Fingers And Keys, and the rules covered in Lesson 2: Steno Order. Practice until you can type them without looking at the explanations above.

  • 'aids' 'ace' 'ate' 'able' 'ape' 'raid' 'raise' 'rail' 'rate' 'pay' 'paid' 'pace' 'tape' 'spray' 'praise'
  • 'weaver' 'trees' 'eel' 'eat' 'evil' 'ear' 'heat' 'heap' 'wield' 'weird' 'peer' 'priest' 'tree' 'tweeze' 'tweed' 'seat' 'cease' 'seed' 'seize' 'secrete'
  • 'ire' 'I'll' 'ice' 'rife' 'ripe' 'right' 'height' 'wild' 'pipe' 'pride' 'prize' 'kite' 'type' 'spite'
  • 'hope' 'spore' 'post' 'sold' 'prose' 'ode' 'oat' 'over' 'robe' 'rope' 'roar' 'rove' 'host' 'wove' 'wrote' 'pole' 'pose' 'cope' 'coat' 'code' 'crow' 'told'
  • 'cube' 'use' 'rude' 'rule' 'pure' 'prude' 'Proust' 'cure' 'cruel' 'crude' 'cruise' 'truce' 'truth' 'spew' 'skew'

Exercise Solutions

Solution: Long Vowel Chords

'ay':
  • 'aids': AEUDZ
  • 'ace': AEUS
  • 'ate': AEUT
  • 'able': AEUBL
  • 'ape': AEUP
  • 'raid': RAEUD
  • 'raise': RAEUZ
  • 'rail': RAEUL
  • 'rate': RAEUT
  • 'race': RAEUS
  • 'pay': PAEU
  • 'paid': PAEUD
  • 'pace': PAEUS
  • 'tape': TAEUP
  • 'spray': SPRAEU
  • 'praise': PRAEUZ
'ee':
  • 'weaver': WAOEFR
  • 'trees': TRAOES
  • 'eel': AOEL
  • 'eat': AOET
  • 'evil': AOEFL
  • 'ear': AOER
  • 'heat': HAOET
  • 'heap': HAOEP
  • 'wield': WAOELD
  • 'weird': WAOERD
  • 'peer': PAOER
  • 'priest': PRAOEFT
  • 'tree': TRAOE
  • 'tweeze': TWAOEZ
  • 'tweed': TWAOED
  • 'seat': SAOET
  • 'cease': SAOES
  • 'seed': SAOED
  • 'seize': SAOEZ
  • 'secrete': SKRAOET
'aye':
  • 'ire': AOEUR
  • 'I'll': AOEUL
  • 'ice': AOEUS
  • 'rifle': RAOEUF
  • 'ripe': RAOEUP
  • 'right': RAOEUT
  • 'height': HAOEUT
  • 'wild': WAOEULD
  • 'pipe': PAOEUP
  • 'pride': PRAOEUD
  • 'prize': PRAOEUZ
  • 'kite': KAOEUT
  • 'type': TAOEUP
  • 'spite': SPAOEUT
'o':
  • 'hope': HOEP
  • 'spore': SPOER
  • 'post': POEFT
  • 'sold': SOELD
  • 'prose': PROES
  • 'ode': OED
  • 'oat': OET
  • 'over': OEFR
  • 'robe': ROEB
  • 'rope': ROEP
  • 'roar': ROER
  • 'rove': ROEF
  • 'host': HOEFT
  • 'wove': WOEF
  • 'wrote': WROET
  • 'pole': POEL
  • 'pose': POES
  • 'cope': KOEP
  • 'coat': KOET
  • 'code': KOED
  • 'crow': KROE
  • 'told': TOELD
'ew' and 'oo' (but not spelled "oo"):
  • 'cube': KAOUB
  • 'use': AOUZ
  • 'rude': RAOUD
  • 'rule': RAOUL
  • 'pure': PAOUR
  • 'prude': PRAOUD
  • 'Proust': PRAOUFT
  • 'cure': KAOUR
  • 'cute': KAOUT
  • 'crew': KRAOU
  • 'cruel': KRAOUL
  • 'crude': KRAOUD
  • 'cruise': KRAOUS
  • 'truce': TRAOUS
  • 'truth': TRAOUT
  • 'spew': SPAOU
  • 'skew': SKAOU