Editing Cardinal vowels (section)

==Table of cardinal vowels==
[[Image:Daniel Jones's 18 Cardinal Vowels.svg|400px|class=skin-invert-image]]


Three of the cardinal vowels—{{IPA|[i]}}, {{IPA|[ɑ]}} and {{IPA|[u]}}—have articulatory definitions. The vowel {{IPA|[i]}} is produced with the tongue as far forward and as high in the mouth as is possible (without producing friction), with spread lips. The vowel {{IPA|[u]}} is produced with the tongue as far back and as high in the mouth as is possible, with [[roundedness|protruded]] lips. This sound can be approximated by adopting the posture to whistle a very low note, or to blow out a candle. And {{IPA|[ɑ]}} is produced with the tongue as low and as far back in the mouth as possible.

The other vowels are 'auditorily equidistant' between these three 'corner vowels', at four degrees of aperture or 'height': close (high tongue position), close-mid, open-mid, and open (low tongue position).

These degrees of aperture plus the front-back distinction define eight reference points on a mixture of articulatory and auditory criteria. These eight vowels are known as the eight 'primary cardinal vowels', and vowels like these are common in the world's languages.

The lip positions can be reversed with the lip position for the corresponding vowel on the opposite side of the front-back dimension, so that e.g. Cardinal 1 can be produced with rounding somewhat similar to that of Cardinal 8; these are known as 'secondary cardinal vowels'. Sounds such as these are claimed to be less common in the world's languages.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ladefoged|first1=P.|title=The Sounds of the World's Languages|last2=Maddieson|first2=I.|date=1996|publisher=Blackwell|isbn=0-631-19815-6|page=292}}</ref> Other vowel sounds are also recognised on the vowel chart of the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]].

Jones argued that to be able to use the cardinal vowel system effectively one must undergo training with an expert phonetician, working both on the recognition and the production of the vowels.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Daniel|title=An Outline of English Phonetics|date=1967|publisher=Heffer|edition=9th|location=Cambridge|page=34}}</ref>

Cardinal vowels are not vowels of any particular language, but a measuring system. However, some languages contain vowel or vowels that are close to the cardinal vowel(s).<ref>{{citation|last=Ashby|first=Patricia|title=Understanding Phonetics|year=2011|publisher=Routledge|page=85|series=Understanding Language series|isbn=978-0340928271}}</ref> An example of such language is [[Ngwe language|Ngwe]], which is spoken in [[Cameroon]]. It has been cited as a language with a vowel system that has eight vowels which are rather similar to the eight primary cardinal vowels (Ladefoged 1971:67).


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Number !! [[help:IPA|IPA]] !! Description
|-
| 1
| {{IPA|[i]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close front unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 2
| {{IPA|[e]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close-mid front unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 3
| {{IPA|[ɛ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open-mid front unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 4
| {{IPA|[a]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open front unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 5
| {{IPA|[ɑ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open back unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 6
| {{IPA|[ɔ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open-mid back rounded vowel]]
|-
| 7
| {{IPA|[o]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close-mid back rounded vowel]]
|-
| 8
| {{IPA|[u]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close back rounded vowel]]
|-
| 9
| {{IPA|[y]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close front rounded vowel]]
|-
| 10
| {{IPA|[ø]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close-mid front rounded vowel]]
|-
| 11
| {{IPA|[œ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open-mid front rounded vowel]]
|-
| 12
| {{IPA|[ɶ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open front rounded vowel]]
|-
| 13
| {{IPA|[ɒ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open back rounded vowel]]
|-
| 14
| {{IPA|[ʌ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open-mid back unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 15
| {{IPA|[ɤ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close-mid back unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 16
| {{IPA|[ɯ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close back unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 17
| {{IPA|[ɨ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close central unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 18
| {{IPA|[ʉ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close central rounded vowel]]
|-
| 19
| {{IPA|[ɘ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close-mid central unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 20
| {{IPA|[ɵ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Close-mid central rounded vowel]]
|-
| 21
| {{IPA|[ɜ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open-mid central unrounded vowel]]
|-
| 22
| {{IPA|[ɞ]}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Open-mid central rounded vowel]]
|}

Cardinal vowels 19–22 were added by [[David Abercrombie (linguist)|David Abercrombie]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Abercrombie|first=David|author-link=David Abercrombie (linguist)|year=1967|title=Elements of General Phonetics|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|page=161|isbn=0-85224-028-7}}</ref> In [[IPA Number]]s, cardinal vowels 1–18 have the same numbers but added to 300.<ref>{{cite book|last=Esling|first=John|author-link=John Esling|year=1999|chapter=Appendix 2: Computer coding of IPA symbols|editor=International Phonetic Association|title=Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet|pages=161–185|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-63751-1}}</ref>