What is the marking that indicates a short vowel?

The identification of a short vowel is represented by a breve, which is a diacritical mark that resembles a small, curved line placed over the vowel. This symbol signifies that the vowel should be pronounced with a short sound, which is crucial for understanding phonetics and proper pronunciation in reading instruction. For instance, in the word "cat," the "a" is a short vowel sound, and if marked with a breve (˘), it clearly indicates this pronunciation.

The other marks mentioned, such as the accent mark, umlaut, and circumflex, serve different functions in language and phonetics. The accent mark typically indicates emphasis or stress rather than vowel length; the umlaut modifies the sound of vowels in certain languages but does not denote length specifically; and the circumflex can indicate a change in vowel quality or length, but it is not specifically used to represent short vowels. Hence, the breve is the correct marking for indicating a short vowel sound.