Template:Short description
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Template:Infobox IPA
Template:IPA vowels
The close back rounded vowel , or high back rounded vowel ,<ref>Template:Vowel terminology </ref> is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages . The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is Template:Angbr IPA .
In most languages, this rounded vowel is pronounced with protruded lips ('endolabial'). However, in a few cases the lips are compressed ('exolabial').
Template:IPA alternates with labio-velar approximant Template:IPA in certain languages, such as French , and in the diphthongs of some languages, Template:IPA with the non-syllabic diacritic and Template:IPA are used in different transcription systems to represent the same sound.
Close back protruded vowel
The close back protruded vowel is the most common variant of the close back rounded vowel. It is typically transcribed in IPA simply as Template:Angbr IPA (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, Template:Angbr IPA , can be used as an ad hoc symbol Template:Angbr IPA . Another possible transcription is Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA (a close back vowel modified by endolabialization), but that could be misread as a diphthong.
Features
Template:Close vowel
Template:Back vowel
Template:Velar
Template:Protruded vowel
File:IPA u Sagittal Section.svg Sagittal section of a vocal tract pronouncing Template:Angbr IPA . Note that a wavy glottis in this diagram indicates a voiced sound.Template:Clear
Occurrence
Language
Word
IPA Meaning
Notes
Afrikaans StandardTemplate:Sfnp
Template:Lang Template:IPA 'book'
Only weakly rounded.Template:Sfnp See Afrikaans phonology
Arabic Standard Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'south'
See Arabic phonology
Armenian Eastern Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'door'
Bengali
তবু
Template:IPA
'still'
See Bengali phonology
Bavarian Amstetten dialect <ref name="tm82">Template:Harvcoltxt , cited in Template:Harvcoltxt </ref>Template:Lang Template:IPA 'and'
Contrasts close Template:IPA , near-close Template:IPAblink , close-mid Template:IPAblink and open-mid Template:IPAblink back rounded vowels in addition to the open central unrounded Template:IPAblink .<ref name="tm82"/>
Bulgarian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'crazy'
See Bulgarian phonology
Catalan Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'juice'
See Catalan phonology
Chinese Mandarin Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'earth'
See Standard Chinese phonology
Cantonese Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:Audio-IPA 'man'
See Cantonese phonology
Shanghainese Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'melon'
Height varies between close and close-mid; contrasts with a close to close-mid back compressed vowel.Template:Sfnp
Chuvash Template:Lang Template:IPA 'street'
Danish StandardTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp
Template:Lang Template:IPA 'you'
See Danish phonology
Dutch StandardTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp
Template:Lang Template:Audio-IPA 'foot'
Somewhat fronted in Belgian Standard Dutch.Template:Sfnp
English Australian Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp boo k Template:IPA 'book'
Corresponds to Template:IPAblink in other accents. See Australian English phonology
Cape Flats Template:Sfnp May be advanced to Template:IPAblink , or lowered and unrounded to Template:IPAblink .Template:Sfnp See South African English phonology
Cultivated South African Template:Sfnp
boo t Template:IPA 'boot'
Typically more front Template:IPA than cardinal Template:IPA . See White South African English phonology and American English phonology .
General American Template:Sfnp
Geordie Template:Sfnp May be central Template:IPAblink instead.
Irish <ref>Template:Cite book </ref>Realized as central Template:IPAblink in Ulster .
Some Multicultural London speakersTemplate:Sfnp
More commonly front Template:IPAblink .
Conservative Received Pronunciation Template:Sfnp
Realized as central Template:IPAblink in modern RP.
Welsh Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp
Pakistani Template:Sfnp Template:IPA
Greater New York City <ref>Template:Cite book </ref>Template:IPA <ref>Template:Cite book chpt. 17</ref>
New Zealand <ref name="victoriauniv">Template:Cite web </ref>Template:Sfnp treacle Template:IPA 'treacle'
Possible realization of the unstressed vowel Template:IPA , which is variable in rounding and ranges from central to (more often) back and close to close-mid.<ref name="victoriauniv"/>Template:Sfnp Corresponds to Template:IPA in other accents. See New Zealand English phonology
Estonian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'feather' (gen. sg.)
See Estonian phonology
Finnish Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'flower'
See Finnish phonology
Faroese Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'yellow'
See Faroese phonology
French Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:Audio-IPA 'where'
See French phonology
Georgian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'leather bag'
German Standard Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:Audio-IPA 'foot'
See Standard German phonology
Many speakersTemplate:Sfnp
Template:Lang Template:IPA 'hour'
The usual realization of Template:IPA in Switzerland, Austria and partially also in Western and Southwestern Germany (Palatinate, Swabia).Template:Sfnp See Standard German phonology
Greek Modern StandardTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'where'
See Modern Greek phonology
Hungarian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'way'
See Hungarian phonology
Icelandic Template:Sfnp <ref>Template:Harvcoltxt , cited in Template:Harvcoltxt </ref>Template:Lang Template:IPA 'you'
See Icelandic phonology
Indonesian <ref>Template:Cite web </ref>
Standard Indonesian
Template:Lang Template:IPA 'camel'
See Indonesian phonology
Italian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'all', 'everything'
See Italian phonology
Kaingang Template:Sfnp Template:IPA 'in the belly'
Kazakh Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'native'
Transcribed phonemically as Template:Angbr IPA .
Khmer Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'village'
See Khmer phonology
Korean Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'snow'
See Korean phonology
Kurdish Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp <ref>Fattah describes the sound as being voyelle longue centrale arrondie (p. 116) .</ref>Kurmanji (Northern) Template:Lang Template:IPA 'wood'
See Kurdish phonology
Sorani (Central) Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration
Palewani (Southern)
Latin Classical Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'pig'
Limburgish Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'beautiful'
BackTemplate:Sfnp or near-back,Template:Sfnp depending on the dialect. The example word is from the Maastrichtian dialect .
Lower Sorbian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'tooth'
Luxembourgish Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'air'
See Luxembourgish phonology
Malay Template:Lang Template:IPA 'medicine'
See Malay phonology
Malayalam Template:Lang Template:IPA 'salt'
See Malayalam phonology
Mongolian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'nest'
Mpade Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'mouse'
Nogai Template:Lang Template:IPA 'water'
Persian Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration
Template:IPA 'far'
See Persian phonology
Polish Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:Audio-IPA 'beech tree'
Also represented orthographically by Template:Angbr . See Polish phonology
Portuguese Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'you'
See Portuguese phonology
Romanian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'one'
See Romanian phonology
Russian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration / Template:Transliteration Template:Audio-IPA 'narrow'
See Russian phonology
Scottish Gaelic Template:Lang Template:IPA 'apples'
Normal realisation of Template:IPA in most dialects. In Lewis and Wester Ross as an allophone in proximity to broad sonorants; Template:IPA elsewhere fronted to Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink .<ref name="SGDS">Template:Cite web </ref>Template:Sfnp
Serbo-Croatian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Lang Template:IPA 'rainbow'
See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Shiwiar Template:Sfnp Template:Example needed
Spanish Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'curable'
See Spanish phonology
Sotho Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'fame'
Contrasts close, near-close and close-mid back rounded vowels.Template:Sfnp See Sotho phonology
Swahili Template:Lang Template:IPA 'brain'
Tagalog Template:Lang Template:IPA 'debt'
Thai StandardTemplate:Sfnp
Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:Audio-IPA 'Chonburi '
Turkish Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'far'
See Turkish phonology
Udmurt Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'to divide'
Ukrainian Template:Sfnp Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'motion'
See Ukrainian phonology
Upper Sorbian Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'beetle'
Urdu Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration Template:IPA 'far'
See Urdu phonology
Welsh Template:Lang Template:IPA 'smoke'
See Welsh phonology
West Frisian Template:Lang Template:IPA 'evening, tonight'
See West Frisian phonology
Yoruba Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA
Zapotec Tilquiapan Template:Sfnp Template:Lang Template:IPA 'all'
Close back compressed vowel
Template:Infobox IPA
Some languages, such as Japanese and Swedish , have a close back vowel that has a distinct type of rounding , called compressed or exolabial .Template:Sfnp 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.Template:Sfnp
As there are no diacritics in the IPA to distinguish protruded and compressed rounding, an old diacritic for labialization, Template:Angbr IPA (the opposite of Template:Angbr IPA ), will be used here as an ad hoc symbol for compressed back vowels. It was only added to Unicode in 2025, however, and it may take some time for font support to catch up. Compression of the lips can be shown with the letter Template:IPAalink as Template:Angbr IPA (simultaneous Template:IPA and labial compression) or Template:Angbr IPA (Template:IPA modified with labial compression), though that can suggest that the vowel is a diphthong (as indeed it is in Swedish).
Features
Template:Close vowel
Template:Back vowel
Template:Velar
Template:Compressed vowel
Occurrence
See also
Citations
Template:Reflist
References
Template:Refbegin
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External links
Template:IPA navigation
