Salaries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salary data for both optometrists and physicians. According to its May 2011 figures, the average income for optometrists was $107,720 per year. That same figure, for physicians and surgeons, was $184,650.
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, with two competing definitions. In the more common phonetic definition, a vowel is a sound pronounced with an open vocal tract, so that the tongue does not touch the lips, teeth, or roof of the mouth, such as the English ah /ÉË/ or oh /oÊ/. There is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis.
A vowel is a letter of the alphabet (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y) that represents a speech sound created by the relatively free passage of breath through the larynx and oral cavity. Letters that are not vowels are consonants.