To Orwell Today,
re: Reader Etaoin sends coincidence about consonants & vowels

Hi,

On your LINCOLN & KENNEDY COINCIDENCES page it says:

"In Lincoln's & Kennedy's names the vowels & consonants fall in exactly the same place;
in the order c, v, c, c, v, c, c"

This is obviously inaccurate as 'y' is not a consonant but a vowel. Otherwise interesting reading.

Keep it up!
Christian

Greetings Christian,

You're right that 'y' is a vowel BUT it can also be a consonant.

In the English language, the five primary vowel letters - "a, e, i, o, u" can represent a variety of vowel sounds, while the letter "y" can represent both vowels and consonants.

See Phonics, Syllable and Accent Rules

Some people say English grammar is difficult to master because it has so many rules and then again it has so many EXCEPTIONS to its rules.

The 'y' being a vowel AND a consonant is one of those many exceptions.

I really appreciate your bringing this to our attention as you make a valid point and it's great that readers are so observant and on their toes. It's nice to have that quality control.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

PS - That being said (about a "y" also being a consonant), you are correct that in its use in Kennedy's name, it is a vowel

Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
website: www.orwelltoday.com & email: orwelltoday@orwelltoday.com

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