V (letter): Difference between revisions
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==Use in English== | ==Use in English== | ||
{{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}} | {{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}} | ||
'''v''' is a labiodental fricative, partially or completely voiced, air passing between the lower lip and upper front teeth as they touch. It differs from 'f' only in that the vocal folds vibrate, which does not occur for 'f': compare '''vîle''' and '''fîle''' (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English spellings]]). This is in contrast to '''w''', where both lips are used without touching each other or any teeth: compare '''vèil''' ''cover'' = '''vâle''' ''valley'' and, rhyming, '''wâil''' ''cry''. | |||
Examples: '''vúlgar, véry, vāst, háve, wâve''', and finally in '''spív, Slàv, dërv'''. The | Examples: '''vúlgar, véry, vāst, háve, wâve''', and finally in '''spív, Slàv, dërv'''. The '''v''' sound involves more friction as air passes through the mouth; for 'w' the lips are further apart, making the sound more [[vowel]]-like. | ||
The letter '''v''' is rare at the end of a word, and it is most commonly found in that position pronounced [f] in Slavonic (i.e. Russian, Bulgarian, etc.) names: '''Rachmáninov, Prokófiev, Medvédev''' *Midvyédiff, '''Krùshchev''' (-chóff), '''Mólotov'''; it is also in '''Névsky''' (pronounced '''v''') and '''Tchaikóvsky''' (usually 'f'). | The letter '''v''' is rare at the end of a word, and it is most commonly found in that position pronounced [f] in Slavonic (i.e. Russian, Bulgarian, etc.) names: '''Rachmáninov, Prokófiev, Medvédev''' *Midvyédiff, '''Krùshchev''' (-chóff), '''Mólotov'''; it is also in '''Névsky''' (pronounced '''v''') and '''Tchaikóvsky''' (usually 'f'). | ||
Revision as of 09:02, 27 November 2009
V, v is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the twenty-second letter of most variants, being placed after U and before W, as is the case for instance in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈviː], vee.
V is also the Roman numeral representing the number 5.
The phoneme /v/ occurs in many languages, but is absent in many others; many speakers may substitute some kind of [b] or [u]. For example, Japanese makes use of both: ウイルス uirusu 'virus' and ライブ raibu 'live'.
Use in English
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use in English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alphabetical word list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retroalphabetical list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common misspellings |
v is a labiodental fricative, partially or completely voiced, air passing between the lower lip and upper front teeth as they touch. It differs from 'f' only in that the vocal folds vibrate, which does not occur for 'f': compare vîle and fîle (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English spellings). This is in contrast to w, where both lips are used without touching each other or any teeth: compare vèil cover = vâle valley and, rhyming, wâil cry.
Examples: vúlgar, véry, vāst, háve, wâve, and finally in spív, Slàv, dërv. The v sound involves more friction as air passes through the mouth; for 'w' the lips are further apart, making the sound more vowel-like.
The letter v is rare at the end of a word, and it is most commonly found in that position pronounced [f] in Slavonic (i.e. Russian, Bulgarian, etc.) names: Rachmáninov, Prokófiev, Medvédev *Midvyédiff, Krùshchev (-chóff), Mólotov; it is also in Névsky (pronounced v) and Tchaikóvsky (usually 'f').
Being rare at the end, v hardly ever needs to be doubled, as it is in révved úp thê éngine (to avoid *rêved). v does not normally have to be doubled after a preceding short vowel (usually é): séven, cléver, héaven, éver, évery, séver, bévy, lòver, drível, cívil. But it doubles before final y to emphasise that the preceding vowel is short: chívvy, sávvy (compare chîves and nâvy). So flívver is unusual, and it rhymes with ríver.
The preceding vowel is long in: êven, fêver, hâver, fâvour, sâviour, ôver, clôver, drîver, dîver, wâver, hâven and Stêven (= the more regular spelling of Stêphen, which does not have an 'f' sound).
As v rarely ends words, so it rarely occurs before consonants; it does, though, in the French word for Âpril, adopted as a girl's name, Ávril.
v is one of the three letters, the others being j and q, that are never silent.