Near-close near-back compressed vowel

The near-close near-back rounded vowel, or near-high near-back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in some vocal languages. The IPA symbol that represents this sound is . It is informally called "horseshoe u". Prior to 1989, there was an alternative IPA symbol for this sound, , called "closed omega"; use of this symbol is no longer sanctioned by the IPA. In Americanist phonetic notation, the symbol (a small capital U) is used. Sometimes, especially in broad transcription, this vowel is transcribed with a simpler symbol , which technically represents the close back rounded vowel.

''Handbook of the International Phonetic Association'' defines as a mid-centralized ( lowered and centralized) close back rounded vowel (transcribed or ), and the current official IPA name of the vowel transcribed with the symbol is ''near-close near-back rounded vowel''. However, some languages have the ''close-mid near-back rounded vowel'', a vowel that is somewhat lower than the canonical value of , though it still fits the definition of a mid-centralized . It occurs in some dialects of English (such as General American and Geordie) as well as some other languages (such as Maastrichtian Limburgish). It can be transcribed with the symbol (a lowered ) in narrow transcription. For the close-mid (near-)back rounded vowel that is not usually transcribed with the symbol (or ), see close-mid back rounded vowel.

In some other languages (such as Bengali and Luxembourgish) as well as some dialects of English (such as Scottish) there is a fully back near-close rounded vowel (a sound between cardinal and ), which can be transcribed in IPA with , or . There may be phonological reasons not to use the first symbol, as it may incorrectly imply a relation to the fully close . It also implies too weak a rounding in some cases (specifically in the case of the vowels that are described as ''tense'' in Germanic languages, which are typically transcribed with ), which would have to be specified as anyway.

A few languages also have the near-close back unrounded vowel in their inventory. This does not have a separate IPA letter, but may be specified as .

Near-close back protruded vowel

The near-close back protruded vowel is typically transcribed in IPA simply as , and that is the convention used in this article. As there is no dedicated diacritic for protrusion in the IPA, symbol for the near-close back rounded vowel with an old diacritic for labialization, , can be used as an ''ad hoc'' symbol for the near-close back protruded vowel. Another possible transcription is or (a near-close back vowel modified by endolabialization), but this could be misread as a diphthong.

The close-mid near-back protruded vowel can be transcribed or , whereas the fully back near-close protruded vowel can be transcribed , or .

Features

The prototypical is somewhat further front (near-back) than the neighboring cardinal vowels.
The prototypical has a weak protruded rounding, more like than the neighboring cardinal vowels.

Occurrence

Because back rounded vowels are assumed to have protrusion, and few descriptions cover the distinction, some of the following may actually have compression. In the table below, vowels transcribed with have a considerably stronger rounding than the prototypical value of .

Near-close back compressed vowel

Some languages, such as Norwegian, are found with a near-close back vowel that has a distinct type of rounding, called ''compressed'' or ''exolabial''.

There is no dedicated diacritic for compression in the IPA. However, the 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, though technically 'spread' means unrounded.

Only the Shanghainese dialect is known to contrast this with the more typical ''protruded'' (endolabial) near-close back vowel, although the height of both of these vowels varies from close to close-mid.

The fully back variant of the near-close compressed vowel can be transcribed , or .

Features

The prototypical has a weak rounding (though it is protruded, rather than compressed), more like than the neighboring cardinal vowels.

Occurrence

Notes

References

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Near-Close Back Rounded Vowel
Near-close vowels
Back vowels
Rounded vowels