Editing Open front unrounded vowel

{{Short description|Vowel sound represented by ⟨a⟩ in IPA}}
{{For|the letter|A}}
{{infobox IPA
|ipa symbol=a
|ipa number=304
|decimal1=97
|x-sampa=a
|braille=a
|above=Open front unrounded vowel
|sound=Open front unrounded vowel.ogg
|imagefile=IPA Unicode 0x0061.svg
|imagesize=150px
}}
{{IPA vowels|class=floatright}}
[[File:IPA a Sagittal Section.svg|thumb|[[Sagittal plane|Sagittal section]] of a vocal tract pronouncing the IPA sound {{angbr IPA|a}}. A wavy [[glottis]] in this diagram indicates a voiced sound.]]

The '''open front unrounded vowel''', or '''low front unrounded vowel''',<ref>{{Vowel terminology}}</ref> is a type of [[vowel]] sound used in some [[spoken language]]s. It is one of the eight primary [[cardinal vowels]], not directly intended to correspond to a vowel sound of a specific language but rather to serve as a fundamental reference point in a [[Phonetics|phonetic]] measuring system.<ref>John Coleman: [http://www.phon.ox.ac.uk/jcoleman/CardinalVowels.htm Cardinal vowels]</ref>

The symbol in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA) that represents this sound is {{angbr IPA|a}}, a [[A#Typographic variants|double-story lowercase a]]. In the IPA [[vowel chart]] it is positioned at the lower-left corner. However, the accuracy of the quadrilateral vowel chart is disputed, and the sound has been analyzed [[Acoustics|acoustically]] as extra-open at a position where the front/back distinction has lost its significance. There are also differing interpretations of the exact [[Vowel quality|quality]] of the vowel: the classic sound recording of {{IPA|[a]}} by [[Daniel Jones (phonetician)|Daniel Jones]] is slightly more front but not quite as open as that by [[John C. Wells|John Wells]].<ref>[[Geoff Lindsey]] (2013) [http://englishspeechservices.com/blog/the-vowel-space/ The vowel space], Speech Talk</ref>

In practice, the symbol {{angbr IPA|a}} is often used to represent an [[Open central unrounded vowel|open ''central'' unrounded vowel]].<ref>Keith Johnson: [http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~kjohnson/ling110/Lecture_Slides/3_Vowels/Vowels.pdf Vowels in the languages of the world] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192120/http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~kjohnson/ling110/Lecture_Slides/3_Vowels/Vowels.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }} (PDF), p. 9</ref> This is the usual practice, for example, in the historical study of the [[English language]]. The loss of separate symbols for open and near-open front vowels is usually considered unproblematic, because the perceptual difference between the two is quite small, and very few languages contrast the two. If there is a need to specify the backness of the vowel as fully front one can use the symbol {{angbr IPA|æ̞}}, which denotes a lowered [[near-open front unrounded vowel]], or {{angbr IPA|a̟}} with the IPA "advanced" diacritic.

==Features==
{{open vowel}}
{{front vowel}} This subsumes central open (central low) vowels because the tongue does not have as much flexibility in positioning as it does in the mid and close (high) vowels; the difference between an open front vowel and an open back vowel is similar to the difference between a close front and a close central vowel, or a close central and a close back vowel.
{{unrounded vowel}}

==Occurrence==
Many languages have some form of an unrounded open vowel. For languages that have only a single open vowel, the symbol for this vowel {{angbr|a}} may be used because it is the only open vowel whose symbol is part of the basic [[Latin alphabet]]. Whenever marked as such, the vowel is closer to a central {{IPA|[ä]}} than to a front {{IPA|[a]}}. However, there may not actually be much of a difference. (See [[Vowel#Acoustics]].)

{| class="wikitable" style="clear: both;"
! colspan="2" | Language !! Word !! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] !! Meaning !! Notes
|-
| [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] || Standard{{sfnp|Wissing|2016|loc=section "The unrounded low-central vowel {{IPA|/ɑ/}}"}} || {{lang|af|[[Afrikaans alphabet|d'''a'''k]]}} || {{IPA|[da̠k]}} || 'roof' || Near-front.{{sfnp|Wissing|2016|loc=section "The unrounded low-central vowel {{IPA|/ɑ/}}"}} See [[Afrikaans phonology]]
|-
| [[Arabic language|Arabic]] || Standard{{sfnp|Thelwall|Sa'Adeddin|1990|p=38}} || {{lang|ar|[[Arabic alphabet|أنا]]|rtl=yes}}/anā ||{{IPA|[ana(ː)]}} || 'I' 1st person singular pronoun || See [[Arabic phonology]]
|-
| [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]{{sfnp|Mokari|Werner|2016|p=?}} || Standard || {{lang|az|[[Azerbaijani alphabet|s'''ə'''s]]}} || {{IPA|[s̪æ̞s̪]}} || 'sound' || Typically transcribed with {{angbr IPA|æ}}.
|-
| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]{{sfnp|Ternes|Vladimirova-Buhtz|1999|p=56}} 
| || {{lang|bg|[[Bulgarian language|н'''а'''й]]}}/nay ||{{IPA|[n̪a̠j]}} || 'most' || Near-front.{{sfnp|Ternes|Vladimirova-Buhtz|1999|p=56}}
|-
|[[Chinese language|Chinese]]
| [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]{{sfnp|Mou|2006|p=65}} || {{lang|cmn-Hani|[[Chinese characters|安]]}} / {{lang|cmn-Latn|[[Pinyin|'''ā'''n]]}} || {{Audio-IPA|Zh-ān.oga|[ʔan˥]}} || 'safe' || Allophone of {{IPA|/a/}} before {{IPA|/n/}}.{{sfnp|Mou|2006|p=65}} See [[Standard Chinese phonology]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Dutch language|Dutch]] || Standard{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2003|pp=95, 104, 132-133}}{{sfnp|Ashby|2011|p=100}} || {{lang|nl|[[Dutch orthography|'''aa'''s]]}} || {{IPA|[aːs]}} || 'bait' || Ranges from front to [[Open central unrounded vowel|central]].{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2003|p=104}} See [[Dutch phonology]]
|-
| [[Utrecht]]{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2003|p=131}} || {{lang|nl|[[Dutch orthography|b'''a'''d]]}} || {{IPA|[bat]}} || 'bath' || Corresponds to {{IPAblink|ɑ}} in Northern Standard Dutch. See [[Dutch phonology]]
|-
| rowspan="11" | [[English language|English]] || [[Australian English|Australian]]{{sfnp|Cox|Fletcher|2017|p=179}} || rowspan="8" | ''[[English orthography|h'''a'''t]]'' || rowspan="7" | {{Audio-IPA|En-uk-hat.ogg|[hat]}} || rowspan="8" | 'hat' || Most common pronunciation among younger speakers.{{sfnp|Cox|Fletcher|2017|p=179}} Older speakers typically use {{IPAblink|æ}}. See [[Australian English phonology]]
|-
| [[California English|California]]{{sfnp|Gordon|2004|p=347}}<ref name="thomas308">{{Harvcoltxt|Thomas|2004|p=308}}: A few younger speakers from, e.g., Texas, who show the {{sc2|LOT}}/{{sc2|THOUGHT}} merger have {{sc2|TRAP}} shifted toward {{IPA|[a]}}, but this retraction is not yet as common as in some non-Southern regions (e.g., California and Canada), though it is increasing in parts of the Midwest on the margins of the South (e.g., central Ohio).</ref> || rowspan="4" | Less open {{IPAblink|æ}} in other North American varieties. See [[English phonology]] and [[Canadian Shift]]
|-
| [[Canadian English|Canadian]]<ref name="thomas308"/>{{sfnp|Boberg|2005|pp=133–154}}
|-
| Some [[Midland American English|Central Ohioan]] speakers<ref name="thomas308"/>
|-
| Some [[Texan English|Texan]] speakers<ref name="thomas308"/>
|-
| [[Suburbs of Johannesburg#Northern suburbs|Northern Suburbs]] of [[Johannesburg]]{{sfnp|Bekker|2008|pp=83–84}} || Closer {{IPAblink|æ}} in General South African English. See [[South African English phonology]]
|-
| [[Received Pronunciation]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/case-studies/received-pronunciation/vowel-sounds-rp/ |publisher=British Library |title=Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds}}</ref>|| Closer {{IPAblink|æ}} in Conservative Received Pronunciation. See [[English phonology]]
|-
| [[Scouse]]<ref>{{citation|last=Watson|first=Kevin|year=2007|title=Liverpool English|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|volume=37|issue=3|pages=351–360|url=http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/4011/1/download2.pdf?origin=publication_detail|doi=10.1017/s0025100307003180|s2cid=232345844|doi-access=free}}</ref>||{{IPA|[haθ̠]}}
|-
| [[East Anglian English|East Anglian]]{{sfnp|Trudgill|2004|p=172}} || rowspan="3" | ''{{lang|en|[[English orthography|br'''a''']]}}'' || rowspan="2" | {{IPA|[bɹaː]}} || rowspan="3" | 'bra' || Realized as central {{IPAblink|äː}} by middle-class speakers.{{sfnp|Trudgill|2004|p=172}}
|-
| [[Inland Northern American English|Inland Northern American]]<ref>{{cite web|author=W. Labov, S. Ash and C. Boberg|year=1997|title=A national map of the regional dialects of American English|publisher=Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania|url=http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/NationalMap/NationalMap.html|access-date=March 7, 2013}}</ref> || Less front [{{IPA link|ɑ}} ~ {{IPA link|ä}}] in other American dialects. See [[Northern cities vowel shift]]
|-
| [[New Zealand English|New Zealand]]{{sfnp|Bauer|Warren|Bardsley|Kennedy|2007|p=98}} || {{IPA|[bɹa̠ː]}} || Varies between open near-front {{IPA|[a̠ː]}}, open central {{IPAblink|äː}}, near-open near-front {{IPAblink|ɐ|ɐ̟ː}} and near-open central {{IPAblink|ɐː}}.{{sfnp|Bauer|Warren|Bardsley|Kennedy|2007|p=98}} May be transcribed in IPA with {{angbr IPA|ɐː}}. See [[New Zealand English phonology]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[French language|French]] || Conservative Parisian{{sfnp|Ashby|2011|p=100}}{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2013|pp=225–227}} || {{lang|fr|[[French orthography|p'''a'''tte]]}} || {{IPA|[pat̪]}} || 'paw' || Contrasts with {{IPAslink|ɑ}}, but many speakers have only one open vowel (phonetically central {{IPAblink|ä}}).{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2013|pp=226–227}} See [[French phonology]]
|-
| [[Quebec French|Quebec]]{{sfnp|Walker|1984|p=53}} || {{lang|fr|[[French orthography|'''a'''rrêt]]}} || {{IPA|[aʁɛ]}} || 'stopping' || Contrasts with {{IPAslink|ɑ}}.{{sfnp|Walker|1984|p=53}} See [[Quebec French phonology]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[German language|German]] || Altbayern accent<!--NOT 'dialect', the source talks about Standard German spoken with Altbayern accent-->{{sfnp|Dudenredaktion|Kleiner|Knöbl|2015|p=64}} || {{lang|de|[[German alphabet|Wasserm'''a'''ssen]]}} || {{IPA|[ˈʋɑsɐmasn̩]}} || 'water masses' || Also illustrates the back {{IPAslink|ɑ}}, with which it contrasts.{{sfnp|Dudenredaktion|Kleiner|Knöbl|2015|p=64}} See [[Standard German phonology]]
|-
| Many Austrian accents<!--NOT 'dialects', the source talks about Standard German spoken with Austrian accents-->{{sfnp|Dudenredaktion|Kleiner|Knöbl|2015|p=64}} || {{lang|de|[[German alphabet|n'''ah''']]}} || {{IPA|[naː]}} || 'near' || Less front in other accents.{{sfnp|Dudenredaktion|Kleiner|Knöbl|2015|p=64}} See [[Standard German phonology]]
|-
| colspan="2" | [[Igbo language|Igbo]]{{sfnp|Ikekeonwu|1999|p=109}} || {{lang|ig-Latn|'''á'''kụ}} || {{IPA|[ákú̙]}}|| 'kernel'||
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Khmer language|Khmer]] || {{lang|km|[[Khmer script|បាត់]]}} / {{Transliteration|km|b'''ă'''t}} || {{IPA|[ɓat]}} || 'to disappear' || rowspan="2" | See [[Khmer phonology]]
|-
| {{lang|km|[[Khmer script|បាត]]}} / {{Transliteration|km|b'''a'''t}} || {{IPA|[ɓaːt]}} || 'bottom'
|-
|[[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]
|[[Palewani|Palewani (Southern)]]
|{{lang|ku|[[Kurdish orthography|گه‌ن]]}}/gen
|{{IPA|[gan]}}
|'bad'
|Equal to [[Sorani|Sorani (Central)]] near-front {{IPAblink|æ}}. See [[Kurdish phonology]]
|-
| [[Limburgish language|Limburgish]] || Many dialects{{sfnp|Heijmans|Gussenhoven|1998|p=110}}{{sfnp|Gussenhoven|Aarts|1999|p=159}}{{sfnp|Peters|2006|p=119}} || {{lang|li|b'''aa'''s}} || {{IPA|[ˈba̠ːs]}} || 'boss' || Near-front;{{sfnp|Heijmans|Gussenhoven|1998|p=110}}{{sfnp|Gussenhoven|Aarts|1999|p=159}}{{sfnp|Peters|2006|p=119}} realized as central {{IPAblink|äː}} in some other dialects.{{sfnp|Verhoeven|2007|p=221}} The example word is from the [[Maastrichtian dialect]].
|-
| colspan="2" | [[Low German]]{{sfnp|Prehn|2012|p=157}} || {{lang|nds|D'''aa'''g}} / {{lang|nds-nl|D'''a'''g}}|| {{IPA|[dax]}} || 'day' || Backness may vary among dialects.{{sfnp|Prehn|2012|p=157}}
|-
| colspan="2" | [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]]{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=70}} || {{lang|lb|K'''a'''p}} || {{IPA|[kʰa̠ːpʰ]}} || 'cap' || Near-front; sometimes fronted and raised to {{IPAblink|a̝ː}}.{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|pp=70–71}} See [[Luxembourgish phonology]]
|-
|[[Malay language|Malay]]
|[[Kedah Malay|Kedah]]
|''ber'''a'''s''
|{{IPA|[bəɣaʲh]}}
|'raw rice'
|Considerably more front than in Standard Malay where it is usually central [{{IPA link|ä}}]. In final syllables that are open ended or end in a glottal stop, it is realised as a back [{{IPA link|ɒ}}]. See [[Kedah Malay]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] || [[Stavangersk]]{{sfnp|Vanvik|1979|p=17}} || {{lang|no|[[Norwegian alphabet|h'''a'''tt]]}} || {{IPA|[hat]}} || 'hat' || rowspan="2" | See [[Norwegian phonology]]
|-
| [[Trondheimsk]]{{sfnp|Vanvik|1979|p=15}} || {{lang|no|[[Norwegian alphabet|l'''æ'''r]]}} || {{IPA|[læ̞ːɾ]}} || 'leather'
|-
| colspan="2" | [[Polish language|Polish]]{{sfnp|Jassem|2003|p=106}} || {{lang|pl|[[Polish orthography|j'''a'''jo]]}} || {{Audio-IPA|Pl-jajo.ogg|[ˈjajɔ]}} || 'egg' || Allophone of {{IPA|/ä/}} between palatal or palatalized consonants. See [[Polish phonology]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] || [[Andalusian Spanish|Eastern Andalusian]]{{sfnp|Zamora Vicente|1967|p=?}} ||rowspan="2" | {{lang|es|[[Spanish alphabet|l'''a'''s m'''a'''dres]]}} ||rowspan="2" | {{IPA|[læ̞ˑ ˈmæ̞ːð̞ɾɛˑ]}}||rowspan="2" | 'the mothers'||rowspan="2"| Corresponds to {{IPAblink|ä}} in other dialects, but in these dialects they are distinct. See [[Spanish phonology]]
|-
| [[Murcian Spanish|Murcian]]{{sfnp|Zamora Vicente|1967|p=?}}
|-
| [[Swedish language|Swedish]] || Central Standard{{sfnp|Bolander|2001|p=55}}{{sfnp|Rosenqvist|2007|p=9}} || {{lang|sv|[[Swedish alphabet|b'''a'''nk]]}} || {{IPA|[baŋk]}} || 'bank' || The backness has been variously described as front {{IPA|[a]}},{{sfnp|Bolander|2001|p=55}} near-front {{IPA|[a̠]}}{{sfnp|Rosenqvist|2007|p=9}} and central {{IPAblink|ä}}.{{sfnp|Engstrand|1999|p=140}} See [[Swedish phonology]]
|-
| [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] || Aastersk{{sfnp|van der Veen|2001|p=102}} || {{lang|fy|k'''aa'''ks}} || {{IPA|[kaːks]}} || 'ship's biscuit' || Contrasts with a back {{IPAslink|ɑː}}.{{sfnp|van der Veen|2001|p=102}} See [[West Frisian phonology]]
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

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{{refend}}

== External links ==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Open Front Unrounded Vowel}}
[[Category:Open vowels]]
[[Category:Front vowels]]
[[Category:Unrounded vowels]]