Open central unrounded vowel

Template:Short description Template:Infobox IPA Template:IPA vowels

The open central unrounded vowel, or low central unrounded vowel,<ref>Template:Vowel terminology</ref> is a type of vowel sound, used in several spoken languages. While the International Phonetic Alphabet officially has no dedicated letter for this sound between front Template:IPAblink and back Template:IPAblink, it is normally written Template:Angbr IPA. If precision is required, it can be specified by using diacritics, typically centralized Template:Angbr IPA.

It is usual to use plain Template:Angbr IPA for an open central vowel and, if needed, Template:Angbr IPA for an open front vowel. Sinologists may use the letter Template:Angbr IPA (small capital A). The IPA has voted against officially adopting this symbol in 1976, 1989, and 2012.Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp

FeaturesEdit

Template:Open vowel Template:Central vowel This often subsumes open (low) front vowels, because the tongue does not have as much flexibility in positioning as it does for the close (high) vowels; the difference between an open front vowel and an open back vowel is equal to the difference between a close front and a close central vowel, or a close central and a close back vowel. Template:Unrounded vowel

OccurrenceEdit

Most languages have some form of an unrounded open vowel. Because the IPA uses Template:Angbr for both front and central unrounded open vowels, it is not always clear whether a particular language uses the former or the latter. However, there may not actually be a difference. (See Template:Slink.)

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Burmese Template:Sfnp		lang}} / ma	main}}	'hard'	main}} in open syllables; realized as near-open Template:IPAblink in other environments.Template:Sfnp
Catalan		lang}}	main}}	'bag'	See Catalan phonology
Chinese	Mandarin Template:Sfnp	lang}}／{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'collapse'	See Standard Chinese phonology
Czech Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'dust'	See Czech phonology
Danish	StandardTemplate:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'child'	Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See Danish phonology
Dutch Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'hall'	Ranges from front to central;Template:Sfnp in non-standard accents it may be back. See Dutch phonology
English	Australian Template:Sfnp	bra	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}	'bra'	Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See Australian English phonology
	East Anglian Template:Sfnp				Used mostly by middle-class speakers; can be front Template:IPAblink instead.Template:Sfnp
	General American Template:Sfnp				In the Midwest. Can be back Template:IPAblink instead.Template:Sfnp
	New Zealand Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp				Can be more front Template:IPAblink and/or higher {{#invoke:IPA\|main}} instead.Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp It may be transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See New Zealand English phonology
	Mid-Ulster
					Can be more front Template:IPAblink instead.
		trap	main}}	'trap'	Can be more front Template:IPAblink instead.
	Some Canadian and Californian speakersTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp		main}}		See Canadian Shift and English phonology
	Multicultural London Template:Sfnp		main}}		More front Template:IPAblink in other Southern England English.
	Northern England Template:Sfnp		main}}		More front Template:IPAblink in Scouse.
French	ParisianTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'paw'	Older speakers have two contrastive open vowels: front Template:IPAslink and back Template:IPAslink.Template:Sfnp See French phonology
German Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'cat'	Can be more front or more back in regional Standard German.Template:Sfnp See Standard German phonology
Hindi		आकार / akaar	main}}	'shape'	Contrasts with the Mid-central vowel [ə]. See Hindi phonology.
Hungarian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'leg'	See Hungarian phonology
Italian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'home'	See Italian phonology
Japanese Template:Sfnp		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'mosquito'	See Japanese phonology
Limburgish	Hamont-Achel dialect Template:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'business'	Front Template:IPAblink in other dialects.
Lithuanian		lang}}	main}}	'wheel'	See Lithuanian phonology
Malay	Standard	رق / rak	main}}	'shelf'	See Malay phonology
Malay	Kelantan-Pattani	سست / sesat	main}}	'lost'	See Kelantan-Pattani Malay
Malayalam		വാൾ	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}	'sword'	See Malayalam phonology
Polish Template:Sfnp		lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'executioner'	See Polish phonology
Portuguese Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'go'	See Portuguese phonology
Romanian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'horse'	See Romanian phonology
Serbo-Croatian Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'dog'	See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Spanish Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'rat'	See Spanish phonology
Swedish	Central StandardTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'bank'	Also described as front Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp See Swedish phonology
Thai Template:Sfnp		lang}} / baang-gɔ̀ɔk	Template:Audio-IPA	'Bangkok'	See Thai phonology
Turkish Template:Sfnp	Standard	lang}}	main}}	'horse'	Also described as back Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Turkish phonology
Welsh		lang}}	main}}	'talk'	See Welsh phonology
Yoruba Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'idea'	See Yoruba phonology

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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