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.
This contrasts with consonants, such as the English sh [ÊË], which have a constriction or closure at some point along the vocal tract. In the other, phonological definition, a vowel is defined as syllabic, the sound that forms the peak of a syllable.