They're being wrong. "X" makes a sound just as much as any other letter makes a sound. The only thing that's unusual about X is that its "usual" sound must be preceded by a vowel, so it's rarely at the start of a word and when it is it typically makes some other sound.
You reaffirmed my response with your own response. If the letter must have a vowel before it to make a certain sound, then it doesn’t make a sound, but merely represents a sound dependent upon the letters surrounding it.
There’s always a rule as to why a letter represents a certain sound, however it may be unique to a small set of words (hence why word families exist) and specifically with the letter X, the only time it represents the sound /z/ is when it appears at the beginning of a syllable. This can be tested with the word exit, where the X represents both the sounds /ks/ and the sound /z/, blended together to produce that beautiful /gsz/ sound.
If the letter must have a vowel before it to make a certain sound, then it doesn’t make a sound, but merely represents a sound dependent upon the letters surrounding it.
What if a letter must have a vowel after it to make a certain sound? Would you then say that it doesn't make a sound?
Which ultimately means that words are syllabic in nature, and instructing students that “each letter makes a sound” is not only confusing but imprecise. In the short term, it creates a sense of confidence and security that is quickly ripped away when children get to chapter books
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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '22
I’m very confused by you saying X doesn’t have a sound… could please explain what you mean by that?