Vowels LIN 3201

Vowels vs. Consonants Vowels Pulmonic Egressive Airstream Usually voiced, but can be voiceless Maintainable articulations More open than approximants; all equal to or more open than [i] Serve as the nucleus of a syllable (carry pitch, tone) Consonants Many different airstreams – pulmonic glottalic or velaric Voiced or voiceless Maintainable and momentary articulations Less open than [i]; no more open than approximants Found at edges of syllables, before and after vowels

Some caveats about vowels… Vowels are naturally more difficult than consonants because there are no physical boundaries from one to another Vowels form a continuum, so some of the delineation of vowels is acoustic and auditory, not articulatory

A caveat for native speakers of American Englishes… Your natural tendency is to GLIDE vowels

What is a GLIDE? Vowels are produced either as PURE vowels or GLIDED vowels A PURE vowel means that throughout the production of the vowel the tongue stays in the same location and maintains the same sound during the entire production of the vowel i.e. [i], [e], [o], [u]

A GLIDED vowel is a slightly longer vowel, in which the tongue moves towards or from production of second vowel during the production GLIDES are combinations of vowels with semi-vowels [j], [w] or [  ] i.e. [uw], [oj]

Wait a sec…a semi-vowel? The approximants [j], [w] and [  ] are considered semi-vowels although they share many characteristics with vowels, they can not serve as syllable nuclei (the center of the syllable) Considered “non-syllabic” versions of [i], [u] and [y] They combine with vowel as vowel glides

GLIDES may be considered:  ON-GLIDES -  glide occurs in syllable initial position  Articulates as rapid glide movement from high vowel position [j], central vowel position[  ], low vowel position [w] or retroflex [  ] to following vowel  Examples: [jo], [wa]. [  e]OR  OFF-GLIDES  Glide occurs in syllable final position  Rapid gliding movement toward high vowel position [j], central vowel position [  ], low vowel position [w] or retroflex [  [  Examples: [ow], [ay]

So just remember… VERY Be VERY careful to produce PURE vowels when needed

4 Parameters for Vowels 1. Tongue Height (high, mid, low)  (close, close-mid, open-mid, open in IPA) 2. Tongue Backness (front, central, back) 3. Tongue Tenseness (tense or lax) 4. Lip Rounding (rounded or unrounded)

Tongue Height Location, or vertical placement of tongue in the mouth High, High-Mid, Mid, Low-Mid, Low [IPA: Close, Close-Mid, Open-Mid, Open] High : [i], [y], [  ], [  ], [  ], [u] Mid (Mid-High/Mid-Low) : [e], [o], [  ] [  ], [  ] Low : [a], [æ], [  ]

Tongue Backness Location, or horizontal placement, of tongue in the mouth Front, Central, Back Front : [i], [e], [  ], [æ], [a] Central : [  ], [  ], [  ] Back: [y], [  ], [o], [u], [  ]

Lip Rounding Whether lips are rounded or unrounded during vowel production Rounded: [y], [u], [o] Unrounded: [i], [e], [  ]

The front, unrounded vowels 1.[i] close 2.[  ] close/close-mid 3.[e] close-mid 4.[  ] open-mid 5.[æ] open-open-mid 6.[a] open

The back, rounded vowels 1.[u] close 2.[  ] close/close- mid 3.[o] close-mid 4.[  ] open-mid