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Close back rounded vowel

Vowel sound represented by ⟨u⟩ in IPA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Close back rounded vowel
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The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel,[1] is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is u, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is u.

Quick Facts u, IPA number ...
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More information IPA: Vowels, Front ...

In most languages, this rounded vowel is pronounced with protruded lips ('endolabial'). However, in a few cases the lips are compressed ('exolabial').

[u] alternates with labio-velar approximant [w] in certain languages, such as French, and in the diphthongs of some languages, [u̯] with the non-syllabic diacritic and [w] are used in different transcription systems to represent the same sound.

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Close back protruded vowel

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The close back protruded vowel is the most common variant of the close back rounded vowel. It is typically transcribed in IPA simply as u (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 ad hoc symbol . Another possible transcription is or ɯʷ (a close back vowel modified by endolabialization), but that could be misread as a diphthong.

Features

  • Its vowel height is close, also known as high, which means the tongue is positioned close to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
  • Its vowel backness is back, which means the tongue is positioned back in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
  • Its roundedness is protruded, which means that the corners of the lips are drawn together, and the inner surfaces exposed.
Thumb
Sagittal section of a vocal tract pronouncing u. Note that a wavy glottis in this diagram indicates a voiced sound.

Occurrence

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Close back compressed vowel

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Quick Facts u͍, ɯᵝ ...

Some languages, such as Japanese and Swedish, have a close back vowel that has a distinct type of rounding, called compressed or exolabial.[80] Only Shanghainese 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.[12]

There is no dedicated diacritic for compression in the IPA. However, compression of the lips can be shown with the letter β̞ as ɯ͡β̞ (simultaneous [ɯ] and labial compression) or ɯᵝ ([ɯ] 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

  • Its vowel height is close, also known as high, which means the tongue is positioned close to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
  • Its vowel backness is back, which means the tongue is positioned back in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
  • Its roundedness is compressed, which means that the margins of the lips are tense and drawn together in such a way that the inner surfaces are not exposed.

Occurrence

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