Open front rounded vowel
| Open front rounded vowel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ɶ | |||
| IPA Number | 312 | ||
| Audio sample | |||
| source · help | |||
| Encoding | |||
| Entity (decimal) | ɶ | ||
| Unicode (hex) | U+0276 | ||
| X-SAMPA | & | ||
| Braille |   | ||
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Legend: unrounded • rounded |
The (near) open front rounded vowel, or (near) low front rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound that has not been confirmed to be phonemic in any spoken language. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɶ⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is &. The letter ⟨ɶ⟩ is a small caps rendition of ⟨Œ⟩. ⟨œ⟩, the lowercase version of the ligature, is used for the open-mid front rounded vowel.
While the IPA chart lists it as a fully open vowel, the rounded equivalent of , Ladefoged characterizes it as near-open, the rounded equivalent of .
A phoneme generally transcribed by this symbol is reported from the Bavarian dialect of Amstetten. However, it is phonetically open-mid, .
It occurs allophonically in Weert Limburgish as well as in some speakers of Danish and Swedish. Certain transcriptions of Danish use ⟨ɶ⟩ to denote an open-mid front rounded vowel .
In Maastrichtian Limburgish, the vowel transcribed with ⟨ɶː⟩ in the Mestreechter Taol dictionary is phonetically near-open central . It is a phonological open-mid front rounded vowel, the long counterpart of /œ/.
Riad (2014) reports that in Stockholm Swedish is sometimes difficult to distinguish from , which is the main realization of the /ɑː/ phoneme, a sign that both vowels are phonetically very close.
Features
- Its vowel height is open, also known as low, which means the tongue is positioned far from the roof of the mouth – that is, low in the mouth.
- Its vowel backness is front, which means the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. Rounded front vowels are often centralized, which means that often they are in fact near-front.
- It is rounded, which means that the lips are rounded rather than spread or relaxed.
Occurrence
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danish | Some speakers | grøn | 'green' | Near-open; allophone of /ø/ between /ʁ/ and /v/ as well as an allophone of /œ/ between /ʁ/ and a nasal. Other speakers pronounce it the same as . See Danish phonology | |
| Limburgish | Weert dialect | bui | 'shower' | Allophone of /œ/ before /j/. See Weert dialect phonology | |
| Swedish | Stockholm | öra | 'ear' | Pre-/r/ allophone of /øː/ (sometimes also /œ/) for younger speakers. Open-mid for other speakers. See Swedish phonology | |
See also
Notes
- ^ While the International Phonetic Association prefers the terms "close" and "open" for vowel height, many linguists use "high" and "low".
- ^ Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 290. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.
- ^ Traunmüller (1982), cited in Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:290)
- ^ a b c Heijmans & Gussenhoven (1998:110)
- ^ a b c d Basbøll (2005:46)
- ^ a b c d e Riad (2014:38)
- ^ Gussenhoven & Aarts (1999:159, 161–162, 164)
- ^ Grønnum (1998:100)
- ^ Grønnum (2005:288)
References
- Basbøll, Hans (2005), The Phonology of Danish, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-203-97876-5
- Grønnum, Nina (1998), "Danish", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 28 (1–2): 99–105, doi:10.1017/S0025100300006290, S2CID 249412109
- Grønnum, Nina (2005), Fonetik og fonologi, Almen og Dansk (3rd ed.), Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, ISBN 87-500-3865-6
- Gussenhoven, Carlos; Aarts, Flor (1999), "The dialect of Maastricht" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 29 (2), University of Nijmegen, Centre for Language Studies: 155–166, doi:10.1017/S0025100300006526, S2CID 145782045
- Heijmans, Linda; Gussenhoven, Carlos (1998), "The Dutch dialect of Weert" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 28 (1–2): 107–112, doi:10.1017/S0025100300006307, S2CID 145635698
- Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.
- Riad, Tomas (2014), The Phonology of Swedish, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-954357-1
- Traunmüller, Hartmut (1982), "Vokalismus in der westniederösterreichischen Mundart.", Zeitschrift für Dialektologie und Linguistik, 2: 289–333