Today's post isn't something that drives me crazy; it's something that came up as a question via text message last week. In my friend's honour, I decided I would make a post about our lovely friend, the letter "Y".
"In what case is Y a vowel?" (To quote my friend's message)
The quickest and simplest answer to figuring this out is, "If there are no other vowels around it, 'Y' becomes a vowel."
The remaining rule would be "when it sounds like a vowel, it is a vowel."
Consider the sound the letter makes. When it sounds like an "ee" or a long "i" it is a vowel. When it is a sharp sound, or it precedes or proceeds a long vowel sound, it is a consonant.
Examples of both:
Vowel because no other vowels are present: Myth or Why
Vowel because of sound: Betty
Consonant: Yes, Yell, Hurray
Lastly, while the word "hurray" almost sounds like the "Y" is making the "ee" sound, it is the long "a" that is making that sound, the "Y" is sharp.
That would be the "Why of Y"... so to speak.
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