American Accent Training
What are the three semi-vowels?
The vowel sounds /i/, /y/, and /u/ are transformed into the semi-vowels /j/,
/ɥ/, and /w/ when followed by another vowel.
A semi-vowel, glide or semi-consonant, is a sound that is phonetically similar to a vowel sound but functions as the syllable.
NOTE The sound /u/ is not like the Spanish "u". In English, /u/ sounds more like a Spanish "a", as in the words umbrella, unfinished, or understand.