by Kevin Burton
Every syllable must have both a written vowel and a vowel sound. It’s a rule kids, don’t giggle!
Now settle down. This is knowledge you need today, because today is National Silent E Day.
Take the word “giggle” for example, since we just used it. That second syllable, to be a syllable, has to have that e. Think of that humble unstressed syllable trying to get into a night club for the big Saturday night concert as “gl.”
No admittance, no hand stamp, no dice.
“A syllable is a unit of sound that creates meaning in language. Consonants join vowels to create syllables,” according to the website writingexplained.org, a website I wish I had known about before I went out on a limb and started a blog.
Now the rebel in me wants to know, what if “giggle” went rogue and shed its silent e. How would we pronounce it? Would we then be prohibited from deploying that schwa, that unvowel sound that gives giggle its wiggle?
And what word police officer would enforce this?
And what if “rogue” shed its e? Wait a minute…do we not have a “silent ue” here?
Sorry, this is going off the rails, and we’re not even 200 words in. And we haven’t even gotten to the fun part, the Tom-Lehrer-wrote-a-song-about-it part.
“The change maker,” that’s the label given Silent E in the National Day Calendar article:
“Change the vowel sound. Add an E to the end of a word, and the vowel before it often turns from a short vowel to a long vowel. (cap-cape),” the article reads.
Right alongside “Conjunction Junction,” “Silent E” by Tom Leghrer belongs on the Kids TV Greatest Hits album:
“Who can turn a can into a cane?
Who can turn a pan into a pane?
It’s not too hard to see
It’s Silent E
Who can turn a cub into a cube?
Who can turn a tub into a tube?
It’s elementary
For Silent E
He took a pin and turned it into pine
He took a twin and turned him into twine
Who can turn a cap into a cape?
Who can turn a tap into a tape?
A little glob becomes a globe instantly
If you just add Silent E
He turned a dam – alakazam! – into a dame
But my friend Sam stayed just the same
Who can turn a man into a mane?
Who can turn a van into a vane?
A little hug becomes huge instantly
Don’t add W, don’t add X, and don’t add Y or Z
Just add Silent E”
What a contribution by Lehrer. Most of you know about him. But do you know Stacey Roselli? She is the founder of National Silent E Day.
“In 2014, Stacey founded The Reading Village, a private educational organization serving children from kindergarten through high school. She has also dedicated countless hours to volunteer service, including serving as Vice President of the International Dyslexia Association Florida Branch,” the Calendar Day article reads. “Stacey is passionate about advancing the mission of Structured Literacy and empowering young readers.”
“We want all children to feel confident about their reading abilities by providing them with the resources they need for success in school and beyond,” reads a note on the Reading Village website.
This year marks the first official Sept. 29 observance of National Silent E Day. Shout out to Stacey and her love of language and literacy. Don’t know if Dolly Parton ever knew about this, but she would have loved it.
(To learn more about Stacey and her mission, please visit TheReadingVillage.com.)
“The silent letter e is found at the end of countless English words,” the National Day Calendar article reads. “The letter may be silent and quiet most of the time, but it is a mighty letter to be reckoned with. It is a mighty letter that plays an important role in our language. This little letter performs several crucial functions that change how a word sounds, looks, and even functions.”
I think of silent E as a split-fingered fastball we pitch to students learning English as a second language to make them swing and miss.
Also, 614 years ago when I was in college, I formed a band called “Silent E.” We used that name because “Glottal Stop” was taken by a band in Ogallala, Nebraska.
Just joking kids, I can’t remember why we were called Silent E, but I still have the T-shirt.
