Sentence:  If we compare the nearest conventional <WSD>shorts</WSD> and longs in English, as in ‘bit' and ‘beat', ‘not' and ‘naught', we find that the short vowels are generally wide ("i", "ɔ"), the long narrow (i, ɔ), besides being generally diphthongic as well. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A short sound, syllable, or vowel.