The underdog in the English language is the letter X. The only letter in the alphabet which struggles to find its place in the world of sound. The origin of the X letter dates back to 900BC and was born after changing hands from the Phoenicians to the Greeks to the Romans to what we know today.
Unless hyphenated the letter X at the beginning of a word like X-ray or follows an e as in eXit, then this letter doesn’t say its name. All other times the letter X is an impostor. Just think about the various sounds this lone little guy mimics.
X replaces the /ks/ sound combination in words such as wax and fox and /gz/ sound found in auxiliary and exhaust. This is commonly referred to as voiceless velar fricative. In short, this means, the way these words are spoken by placing the back of the tongue at the soft palate.
X is substituted for the /z/ sound as xylophone and Xanadu, the hard /k/ sound as in excite and /kzh/ as in luxury. The /x/ can also be silent as in Sioux (Falls) and the French loan-word faux. Credit for the letter ‘X’ information.
Did you say, “Too much information?” If so, then you’d be right. Who can remember all of this? I sure can’t. What about kids? I think on how this must confuse the socks or is it sox off them?
Children learn best through song. At kididdles.com you can find many free resources to help your kiddos to grasp number order, sounds, or other subjects through music. Below are the lyrics to teach the X AlphaSong. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate YouTube video so you can hear the melody to go with the lyrics, but you can buy Mr. Whitfield’s CD from Songs for Teaching at a reasonable price.
Copyright © 1996 Greg Whitfield
USED WITH PERMISSION
Just before Y
Lives a letter that’s made
By crossing two lines
And this letter called X
Can sound like K-S
If it comes at the end of
A word such as flexOr right in the middle
Like in saxophone
Or Texas or taxes
Or New Mexico
I hear it in six
And I hear it in fox
I hear it in axe
And I hear it in boxIt comes at the end of
Old number six
It makes the last sound
In ox, Max, and mix
But there on the alphabet
Up on the wall
The picture that goes
With the X, you recall
Is always the same
Wherever you go:
X is always for xylophoneX is always for xylophone
X is always for xylophone
It’s always the same
Wherever you go
X is always for xylophoneNow who thought this up?
It sounds like a Z
At the front of a word,
But there just couldn’t be
All that many good words
With an X at the start
Try to think of a few
It can be pretty hard
There aren’t many in fact,
Ask around and you’ll see
Why X is always for xylophone
X is always for xylophone
X is always for xylophone
It’s always the same
Wherever you go
X is always for xylophone
As for me, I like X
When it’s not the first letter
It’s so easy to read
And it sounds so much better
When it comes somewhere other
Than right at the start
But I’ve been around
And I know in my heart
That your teacher will
Probably point at the wall
And say, “X is always for xylophone.”
X is always for xylophone
X is always for xylophone
It’s always the same
Wherever you go
X is always for xylophone
Coincidentally…how cool is this? The timing works out perfectly with today’s lesson. One of my favorite bloggers is Xmas Dolly (Marie). You may want to visit her and join her for Monday’s Music Moves Me for an eXhilarating eXperience. One thing for sure, you’ll make her feel eXtra special, if you decide to play along!
My **xzibit of letter X is an inspiration of Miss Jenny’s weekly class assignment. For more ‘X’ posts visit Alphabe-Thursday.
< X > replaces the syllable {eks}. The silent is dropped. < Z > notates the constants voiced, instead of [eks] it is [egz]. Compare Texaco with exact. See? This blending is done with the two most conspicuous letters of the alphabet < X > & < Z >. Credit for use of the word ‘xzibit’.
1. Thinking back to your days in grammar school, what was the most confusing thing to learn in English?
The one I had trouble with was I before E, except after C concept. I always stumbled on this and even today I have to think about it. When in question, though I always look it up!
- I’m curious, do you still go through the alphabet song silently when you alphabetize or look up a word in the dictionary?
blush I still repeat the alphabet song to myself, but I don’t have to go all the way through it. I’ve gotten quick with jumping to segments to make sure I get the letters in the proper order. lol