Central vowel

A central vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a central vowel is that the tongue is positioned halfway between a front vowel and a back vowel. The central vowels identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:
* close central unrounded vowel
* close central rounded vowel
* close-mid central unrounded vowel
* close-mid central rounded vowel
* mid central vowel
* open-mid central unrounded vowel
* open-mid central rounded vowel
* near-open central vowel

Occasionally, the ad hoc symbols (ɪ, ʊ) for near-close central vowels will be seen. , the symbol for an open front unrounded vowel, is often used to indicate an open central unrounded vowel.

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