How_now_brown_cow

How now brown cow

How now brown cow

Phrase used in elocution

"How now brown cow" is a phrase used in elocution teaching to demonstrate the diphthong /aʊ/.[1] English orthography also uses the homophonic spelling "ou" to represent this diphthong in words like "noun" and "cloud". The use of the phrase "how now brown cow" in teaching elocution can be traced back to at least 1926.[2]

Vowel diagram for English diphthongs including /aʊ/, charting tongue height and position during articulation

The phrase how now itself is an archaic greeting or interrogative expression.[3]

References

  1. [1]
    Wise, Jessie; Buffington, Sara (2004). The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. Charles City, VA: Peace Hill Press. pp. 203. ISBN 978-09-72860-31-4.
  2. [2]
    Bagley, Louie: "Elocution do's and dont's", Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1926
  3. [3]
    "How now | WordReference Forums". 4 February 2014.


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