Close-mid central unrounded vowel
The
close-mid central unrounded vowel is a type of
vowel sound, used in some
spoken languages. The symbol in the
International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is . This is a reversed letter e, and should not be confused with the
schwa , a turned letter e.
Features
* Its
vowel height is
close-mid, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between
close vowel and a
mid vowel.
* Its
vowel backness is
central, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a
front vowel and a
back vowel.
* Its
vowel roundedness is
unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded.
Occurs in
*
English:
Southern American English nut *
Paicĩ:
spiderThe
mid central unrounded vowel is frequently written as a
schwa . However, that symbol does not specifically represent an unrounded vowel, and is frequently used for most any unstressed obscure vowel. If precision is desired, the symbol for the close-mid central unrounded vowel may be used with a lowering diacritic, .
Features
* Its
vowel height is
mid, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a
close vowel and an
open vowel.
* Its
vowel backness is
central, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a
front vowel and a
back vowel.
* Its
vowel roundedness is
unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded.
Occurs in
* In
European Portuguese:
açougue ;
seja ;
antro 'den'. In Portuguese tradition, unstressed vowel quality is indicated by rotating the orthographic vowel, and so these vowels are transcribed . However, they are mid vowels, and closer than Portuguese .
