S ::
S () the
nineteenth letter of the
English alphabet, is a
consonant, and is often
called a
sibilant, in
allusion to its
hissing sound. It has two
principal sounds; one a mere
hissing, as in sack, this; the other a vocal
hissing (the same as that of z), as in is, wise.
Besides these it
sometimes has the
sounds of sh and zh, as in sure,
measure. It
generally has its
hissing sound at the
beginning of
words, but in the
middle and at the end of words its sound is
determined by
usage. In a few words it
Short ::
Short
(adv.) Not
prolonged, or
relatively less
prolonged, in
utterance; --
opposed to long, and
applied to
vowels or to
syllables. In
English, the long and short of the same
letter are not, in most
cases, the long and short of the same
sound; thus, the i in ill is the short
sound, not of i in isle, but of ee in eel, and the e in pet is the short sound of a in pate, etc. See
Quantity, and Guide to
Pronunciation, //22, 30..