Shorter ruby version: phrase.split.select{|x| x.count("aeiou")<=2}.max_by(&:length)

The enumerable module of Ruby provides many methods that can be easily implemented in J. Just to show one of them

   max_by =: 1 : '{~ (i. >./)@:(u&>)'

For example the list.max_by(&:length) is (# max_by)