Question

What makes r-controlled vowel sounds so confusing for students?

a.) The sounds make two mouth movements.
b.) The r takes over the preceding vowel sound.
c.) There is only one way to spell an r-controlled vowel.
d.) English does not allow this sound in the middle of words.

Answer 1

R-controlled vowel sounds can be confusing for students due to the need for two mouth movements, the dominance of the r sound, and the variability in spelling.

Step-by-step explanation:

R-controlled vowel sounds can be confusing for students for several reasons:

1. The sounds make two mouth movements: When pronouncing r-controlled vowel sounds, students need to make two mouth movements, one for the vowel sound and another for the r sound. This additional movement can sometimes be challenging to coordinate.
2. The r takes over the preceding vowel sound: In r-controlled vowel sounds, the r sound dominates and changes the way the preceding vowel is pronounced. For example, the word 'car' is pronounced as /kɑːr/ instead of /kæ/ as it would be in a non-r-controlled vowel sound.
3. There is more than one way to spell an r-controlled vowel: Although the most common spelling is , there are other ways to spell r-controlled vowels, such as , , and . This variability can add to the confusion.

Overall, the combination of two mouth movements, the dominance of the r sound, and the variability in spelling can make r-controlled vowel sounds confusing for students.