A mid vowel (or a true-mid vowel) is any in a class 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 (l ...
sounds used in some 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 defining characteristic of a mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned midway between an
open vowel and a
close vowel.
Other names for a mid vowel are lowered close-mid vowel and raised open-mid vowel, though the former phrase may also be used to describe a vowel that is as low as
open-mid
An open-mid vowel (also mid-open vowel, low-mid vowel, mid-low vowel or half-open vowel) is any in a class of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of an open-mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned one third ...
; likewise, the latter phrase may also be used to describe a vowel that is as high as
close-mid
A close-mid vowel (also mid-close vowel, high-mid vowel, mid-high vowel or half-close vowel) is any in a class of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a close-mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned one th ...
.
Vowels
The only mid vowel with a dedicated symbol in the
International Phonetic Alphabet is the
mid central vowel with ambiguous rounding .
The IPA divides the vowel space into thirds, with the
close-mid vowels such as or and the
open-mid vowels such as or equidistant in
formant space between open or and close or . Thus a true mid front unrounded vowel can be transcribed as either a lowered (with a
lowering diacritic) or as a raised (with a
raising diacritic). Typical truly mid vowels are thus:
*
mid front unrounded vowel or
*
mid front rounded vowel or
*
mid central unrounded vowel
The mid central vowel (also known as schwa) is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , a rotated lowercase letter e.
While the ''Handbook of the I ...
or (most commonly written )
*
mid central protruded vowel or (most commonly written as if it were
close-mid
A close-mid vowel (also mid-close vowel, high-mid vowel, mid-high vowel or half-close vowel) is any in a class of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a close-mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned one th ...
)
*
mid central compressed vowel
*
mid back unrounded vowel or
*
mid back rounded vowel or
Languages
Few languages contrast all three heights of mid vowel, because it is rare for a language to distinguish more than four heights of true front or back vowels.
The
Kensiu language spoken in Malaysia and Thailand is highly unusual in that it phonemically contrasts true-mid vowels with close-mid and open-mid vowels without differences in other parameters such as backness or roundedness.
{{IPA navigation
Vowels by height