The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel,
is a type of
vowel
A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (len ...
sound used in many spoken
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
s. The symbol in the
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standardized representation ...
that represents this sound is , and the equivalent
X-SAMPA symbol is
u.
In most languages, this rounded vowel is pronounced with
protruded lips ('endolabial'). However, in a few cases the lips are compressed ('exolabial').
alternates with
labio-velar approximant
Labiovelar consonant may refer to:
* Labial–velar consonant such as (a consonant made at two places of articulation, one at the lips and the other at the soft palate)
* Labialized velar consonant such as or (a consonant with an approximant-lik ...
in certain languages, such as
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and in the
diphthong
A diphthong ( ; , ), also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of the speech ...
s of some languages, with the
non-syllabic diacritic and are used in different
transcription systems to represent the same sound.
Close back protruded vowel
The close back protruded vowel is the most common variant of the close back rounded vowel. It is typically transcribed in IPA simply as (the convention used in this article). As there is no dedicated
IPA diacritic for protrusion, the symbol for the close back rounded vowel with an old diacritic for labialization, , can be used as an symbol . Another possible transcription is or (a close back vowel modified by endolabialization), but that could be misread as a diphthong.
Features
Occurrence
Close back compressed vowel
Some languages, such as
Japanese and
Swedish, have a close back vowel that has a distinct
type of rounding, called ''compressed'' or ''exolabial''. Only
Shanghainese
The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan langua ...
is known to contrast it with the more typical ''protruded'' (endolabial) close back vowel, but the height of both vowels varies from close to close-mid.
There is no dedicated
diacritic
A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacrit ...
for compression in the IPA. However, compression of the lips can be shown with the letter as (simultaneous and labial compression) or ( modified with labial compression). The spread-lip diacritic may also be used with a rounded vowel letter as an ''ad hoc'' symbol, but 'spread' technically means unrounded.
Features
Occurrence
See also
*
Index of phonetics articles
A
* Acoustic phonetics
* Active articulator
* Affricate
* Airstream mechanism
* Alexander John Ellis
* Alexander Melville Bell
* Alfred C. Gimson
* Allophone
* Alveolar approximant ()
* Alveolar click ()
* Alveolar consonant
* Alveolar e ...
*
Close central compressed vowel
*
Close front protruded vowel
Citations
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Close Back Rounded Vowel
Close vowels
Back vowels
Rounded vowels