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Stephenlearner Posted 16 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation

Cab and cap, bag and back, bit and bid, bed and bet

Is there a general rule that the vowel followed by a voiced consonant tends to be longer than the one followed by a voiceless consonant? Look at the following minimal pairs:

cab,

cap

bag,

back

bed,

bet

bid,

bit

Thanks very much!

Stephen
  

Top answer

In general, the vowel sounds before voiced consonants are longer than the ones before unvoiced consonants. However, I noticed several exceptions in native speakers' speech, and I noticed that vowels that are expected to be short can be lengthened. I think it's often done for emphasis, and I guess it varies from accent to accent too.

— Kooyeen

  • In general, the vowel sounds before voiced consonants are longer than the ones before unvoiced consonants.
  • However, I noticed several exceptions in native speakers' speech, and I noticed that vowels that are expected to be short can be lengthened.
  • I think it's often done for emphasis, and I guess it varies from accent to accent too.
  • I don't think it works the other way around though: if you shorten the vowels that are supposed to be longer, I'm afraid you're going to have a foreign accent.
  • Just my opinion.
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1 Answers
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In general, the vowel sounds before voiced consonants are longer than the ones before unvoiced consonants. However, I noticed several exceptions in native speakers' speech, and I noticed that vowels that are expected to be short can be lengthened. I think it's often done for emphasis, and I guess it varies from accent to accent too. I don't think it works the other way around though: if you short
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