In all languages words consist of syllables (or sound units). The vowels determine how many syllables a word has. The word cat in English, for example, has one vowel and consists of one syllable. Other words, such as rabbit, with two vowels, consist of two syllables: rab+bit. Longer words, such as elephant, with three vowels, consist of three syllables: el+e+phant. Some longer words have even more syllables. In words of one syllable, it is obvious where the stress falls: there
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