the diphthong /eɪ/ as in ace and key, generally when ⟨a⟩ is followed by one, or once in a while two, consonants and after that A further vowel letter—this outcomes from Center English lengthening accompanied by the Great Vowel ShiftWhile in the Intercontinental Phonetic Alphabet, ⟨a⟩ is useful for the open front unrounded vowel, ⟨ä⟩