What does the 'ch' sound represented after a vowel pair indicate?

The 'ch' sound following a vowel pair typically indicates a continuous sound. In linguistic terms, a continuous sound is one that can be sustained, allowing for smoother transitions in speech. When 'ch' appears after vowel pairs, it often creates a sound that flows naturally into the following letters, contributing to the overall fluency of the word. This fluidity contrasts with sounds that are more abrupt or clipped, such as a hard 'k' sound or a single 't' sound.

The other sound outcomes associated with 'ch' include soft sounds, such as the 'sh' sound found in words like "cheat," which does not apply here. Therefore, understanding that 'ch' produces a continuous sound in such contexts is essential for recognizing phonetic nuances in multi-sensory structured language education.