Alphabet consonants and vowels are used in children's toys to enhance recognition.
The entire alphabet comprises five vowels including A, E, I, O and U and 21 consonants. Each letter can be written as either a capital or a lowercase letter, depending on its use within a word. Most consonants only make one sound opposed to vowels that make both a long and short sound, but there are a few consonant such as the letters G and C that make one of two sounds in a word.
Stop-Plosive Consonants
Stop-plosive consonants make a hard explosive sound when pronounced. For example, the letter P, when spoken begins with pursed lips and ends with a breath of air exiting your mouth in a forceful manner. Other consonants that are pronounced using a stop-plosive types of sound include B, T, D, K, X, C, Q, H and G.
Nasal Consonants
A consonant that, when sounded exits your nose opposed to your mouth is considered a nasal consonant. When sounding the letter M, the lips are together and sound exits your nostrils. Another nasal consonant is N. Although the letter R does not require the lips together, a majority of the sound comes from the nose.
Fricative Consonants
Fricative consonants make short repetitive sounds that combine to make one sound when two sections of your mouth create a friction-like position. The letter S is an example when positioning the teeth on the top jaw together with those on the bottom jaw and pushing sound through the teeth creates a sound that goes on as long as the person pronouncing it wishes. Letters F, V and Z are other examples of a fricative consonant.
Gliding Consonants
Sounds created while breathing out and changing the position of your mouth simultaneously are glide consonants. The letters W, J and Y produce this type of sound. Exerting the sound of W requires the speaker to make kiss lips initially but while forcing sound out, the mouth later opens.
Additional Consonants
The letter L is a lateral consonant due to the position of the tongue against the back of the top teeth while the sound is exerted. Additionally, the letters G and C make soft sounds in some words opposed to the stop-plosive sounds the letters make in other words. The letter G makes the same sound as the hard letter J while the letter C replicates the S sound.
