bir+de=birde “at one”
both /i / and /e / are front vowels
on+da=onda “at ten”
both /o/ and /a/ are back vowels.vowel length n
the duration of a vowel sound.
In phonetic script (see notation), vowel length is often shown by /p/ after
the vowel.
Many languages have pairs of similar vowels that differ in length and
usually also in vowel quality. For example, in English, /ip/ (as in /sipt/
seat) may be longer than /i/ (as in /sit/ sit), but it is also higher and tenser,
and may have the quality of a diphthong.
vowel quality n
features other than length which distinguish one vowel from another.
Vowel quality is determined by the shape of the mouth when the particular
vowel is produced. The shape of the mouth varies according to the position
of the tongue and the degree of lip rounding (see vowel).
VP n
an abbreviation for verb phrase
VP