Soft ::
Soft
(superl.) Belonging to the class of
sonant elements as
distinguished from the surd, and
considered as
involving less force in
utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v, etc., in
contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc..
Short ::
Short
(adv.) Not
prolonged, or
relatively less
prolonged, in
utterance; --
opposed to long, and
applied to
vowels or to
syllables. In
English, the long and short of the same
letter are not, in most
cases, the long and short of the same
sound; thus, the i in ill is the short
sound, not of i in isle, but of ee in eel, and the e in pet is the short sound of a in pate, etc. See
Quantity, and Guide to
Pronunciation, //22, 30..