Mid central vowel

The mid central vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. A reduced mid central vowel is known as a schwa. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents either sound is Template:Angbr IPA, a rotated lowercase letter e.

The word, schwa, comes from the Hebrew Shva (via German),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a Niqqud, which in most cases in Modern Hebrew denotes a de-emphasis of an accompanying vowel that would otherwise be pronounced strongly. Shva itself is silent and is not a mid central vowel, which does not exist in Modern Hebrew.

While the Handbook of the International Phonetic Association does not define the roundedness of Template:IPA,Template:Sfnp a schwa is more often unrounded than rounded. The phonetician Jane Setter describes the pronunciation of the unrounded variant as follows: "a sound which can be produced by basically relaxing the articulators in the oral cavity and vocalising."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To produce the rounded variant, all that needs to be done in addition to that is to round the lips.

Afrikaans contrasts unrounded and rounded mid central vowels; the latter is usually transcribed with Template:Angbr IPA. The contrast is not very stable, and many speakers use an unrounded vowel in both cases.Template:Sfnp

DanishTemplate:Sfnp and LuxembourgishTemplate:Sfnp have a mid central vowel that is variably rounded. In other languages, the change in rounding is accompanied with the change in height or backness. For instance, in Dutch, the unrounded allophone of Template:IPA is mid central unrounded Template:IPA, but its word-final rounded allophone is close-mid front rounded Template:IPAblink, close to the main allophone of Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp

"Mid central vowel" and "schwa" do not always mean the same thing, and the symbol Template:Angbr IPA is often used for any obscure vowel, regardless of its precise quality. For instance, the unstressed English vowel transcribed Template:Angbr IPA and called "schwa" is a central unrounded vowel that can be close-mid Template:IPAblink, mid Template:IPA or open-mid Template:IPAblink, depending on the environment.Template:Sfnp The French vowel transcribed that way is closer to Template:IPAblink.

If a mid-central vowel of a language is not a reduced vowel, or if it may be stressed, it may be more unambiguous to transcribe it with one of the other mid-central vowel letters: Template:Angbr IPA for an unrounded vowel or Template:Angbr IPA for a rounded vowel.

Mid central unrounded vowel

The mid central unrounded vowel is frequently written with the symbol Template:Angbr IPA. If greater precision is desired, the symbol for the close-mid central unrounded vowel may be used with a lowering diacritic, Template:Angbr IPA, or for the open-mid central unrounded vowel with a raising diacritic, Template:Angbr IPA.

Occurrence

Language			Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Albanian			Template:Lang	[ɲə]	'one'
Afrikaans	StandardTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'light'	Also described as open-mid Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Afrikaans phonology
	Many speakersTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang		'air'	Many speakers merge Template:IPA with Template:IPA, even in formal speech.Template:Sfnp See Afrikaans phonology
Arabic	Damascene		كرمال	[kɪɾ.məːl]	'for the sake of'	Realized as /a/ by some speakers.
Bhojpuri			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'to do'
Catalan	Balearic		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'dry'	Stressable schwa that corresponds to the open-mid Template:IPAblink in Eastern dialects and the close-mid Template:IPAblink in Western dialects. See Catalan phonology
	EasternTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'with'	Reduced vowel. The exact height, backness and rounding are variable.Template:Sfnp See Catalan phonology
	Some Western accentsTemplate:Sfnp
Chinese	Hokkien		Template:Lang (Template:Lang)	Template:IPA	'snail'
	Mandarin		根/gēn	Template:Audio-IPA	'root'	See Standard Chinese phonology
Chuvash			ăман	Template:IPA	'worm'
Danish	StandardTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'mare'	Sometimes realized as rounded Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp See Danish phonology
Dutch	StandardTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'runner'	The backness varies between near-front and central, whereas the height varies between close-mid and open-mid. Many speakers feel that this vowel is simply an unstressed allophone of Template:IPAslink.Template:Sfnp See Dutch phonology
English	Most dialectsTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp		arena	Template:IPA	'arena'	Reduced vowel; varies in height between close-mid and open-mid. Word-final Template:IPA can be as low as Template:IPAblink.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp See English phonology
	Cultivated South AfricanTemplate:Sfnp		bird	Template:IPA	'bird'	May be transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. Other South African varieties use a higher, more front and rounded vowel Template:IPAblink. See South African English phonology
	NorfolkTemplate:Sfnp
	Received PronunciationTemplate:Sfnp					Often transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. It is sulcalized, which means the tongue is grooved like in Template:IPA. 'Upper Crust RP' speakers pronounce a near-open vowel Template:IPAblink, but for some other speakers it may actually be open-mid Template:IPAblink. This vowel corresponds to rhotacized Template:IPAblink in rhotic dialects.
	GeordieTemplate:Sfnp		bust	Template:IPA	'bust'	Spoken by some middle class speakers, mostly female; other speakers use Template:IPAblink. Corresponds to Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink in other dialects.
	IndianTemplate:Sfnp					May be lower. Some Indian varieties merge Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink with Template:IPA like Welsh English.
	WalesTemplate:Sfnp					May also be further back; it corresponds to Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink in other dialects.
	YorkshireTemplate:Sfnp					Middle class pronunciation. Other speakers use Template:IPAblink. Corresponds to Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink in other dialects.
Faroese	Tórshavn		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'yellow'	See Faroese phonology
	Northeastern dialects			Template:IPA
Galician	Some dialects		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'milk'	Alternative realization of final unstressed Template:IPA or Template:IPA (normally Template:IPA)
			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'to die'	Alternative realization of unstressed Template:IPA or Template:IPA in any position
German	StandardTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:Audio-IPA	'fitting'	See Standard German phonology
	Southern German accentsTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'or'	Used instead of Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Standard German phonology
Georgian<ref>Template:Citation</ref>			Template:Lang/Template:Transliteration	[dəɡas]	1st person singular 'to stand'	Phonetically inserted to break up consonant clusters. See Georgian phonology
Indonesian			Template:Lang	[bə.rat]	'heavy'	See Malay phonology
Kashmiri			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'how many'
Kashubian			Kaszëbë	Template:IPA	'Kashubia'
KensiuTemplate:Sfnp			Template:IPA		'to be bald'	Contrasts with a rhotacized close-mid Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp
Khanty<ref>Template:The Oxford Guide to the Uralic Languages</ref>			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'early'	Reduced vowel. Occurs only in unstressed syllables. See Khanty phonology
Khmer			Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Template:IPA	'to transport'	See Khmer phonology
Korean	Southern Gyeongsang dialect		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'spider'	In southern gyeongsang, The sounds ㅡ(eu)/ɯ/ and ㅓ(eo)/ʌ/ merge with /ə/.
			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'net'
Kurdish	Sorani (Central)		Template:Lang/Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'cosmos'	See Kurdish phonology
	Palewani (Southern)
LuxembourgishTemplate:Sfnp			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'thin'	More often realized as slightly rounded Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp See Luxembourgish phonology
Malay	Standard	Template:IPA and schwa-varieties	Template:Lang	[bə.rat]	'heavy'	Realization of word-final Template:IPAslinkSee Malay phonology
		schwa-varieties	Template:Lang	[a.pə]	'what'	Pronunciation of word-final Template:IPA of root morphemes and before Template:IPA. Corresponds to Template:IPAslink in Template:IPA-varieties. See Malay phonology
	Johor-Riau
	Terengganu
	Jakarta		Template:Lang	[da.təŋ]	'to come'	Usually occurs around Jakarta, often inherited from earlier Proto-Malayic syllable *-CəC. For the dialects in Sumatra in which the word-final /a/ letter ([a]) changes to an [ə] sound, see Malay phonology.
	Palembang
Moksha			Template:Lang	[tərvaˑ]	'lip'	See Moksha phonology
Norwegian	Many dialectsTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'the strongest'	Occurs only in unstressed syllables. The example word is from Urban East Norwegian. Some dialects (e.g. Trondheimsk) lack this sound.Template:Sfnp See Norwegian phonology
Neapolitan			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	"Sanctified"	The final schwa sound might become "mute" or left out entirely. Schwa sounds might also be denoted with a diaeresis (E.G Santificammö) but it is not universal. See Neapolitan Phonology
PlautdietschTemplate:Sfnp			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'means'	The example word is from the Canadian Old Colony variety, in which the vowel is somewhat fronted Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp
Portuguese	Brazilian<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'apple'	Possible realization of final stressed /ɐ̃/. Also can be open-mid Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp
Romanian<ref name="Harvcoltxt|Chițoran|2001|p=7">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'hairy'	See Romanian phonology
Russian	Standard		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'cow'	See Russian phonology
Serbo-CroatianTemplate:Sfnp			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'garden'	Template:IPA is a possible phonetic realization of the syllabic trill Template:IPA when it occurs between consonants.Template:Sfnp See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Swedish	SouthernTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'mitten'	Corresponds to a slightly retracted front vowel Template:IPA in Central Standard Swedish.Template:Sfnp See Swedish phonology
Tyap			Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'ɡood'
Welsh			Template:Lang	[mənɪð]	'mountain'	See Welsh phonology

Mid central rounded vowel

Languages may have a mid central rounded vowel (a rounded Template:IPA), distinct from both the close-mid and open-mid vowels. However, since no language is known to distinguish all three, there is no separate IPA symbol for the mid vowel, and the symbol Template:Angbr IPA for the close-mid central rounded vowel is generally used instead. If precision is desired, the lowering diacritic can be used, Template:Angbr IPA, or the more rounded diacritic with the schwa symbol, Template:Angbr IPA, or the raising diacritic with the open-mid central rounded vowel symbol, Template:Angbr IPA, although it is rare to use such precision.

Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Afrikaans	StandardTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'air'	Also described as open-mid Template:IPAblink,Template:Sfnp typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. Many speakers merge Template:IPA and Template:IPA, even in formal speech.Template:Sfnp See Afrikaans phonology
Danish	StandardTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'mare'	Possible realization of Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp See Danish phonology
Dutch	Southern<ref name="cm">Template:Harvcoltxt. The source describes the Standard Dutch vowel as front-central Template:IPAblink, but more sources (e.g. Template:Harvcoltxt and Template:Harvcoltxt) describe it as central Template:IPAblink. As far as the lowered varieties of this vowel are concerned, Collins and Mees do not describe their exact backness.</ref>	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'hut'	Found in certain accents, e.g. in Bruges. Close-mid Template:IPAblink in Standard Dutch.<ref name="cm"/> See Dutch phonology
English	California<ref name="eckert">Eckert, Penelope. "Vowel Shifts in California and the Detroit Suburbs". Stanford University.</ref>	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'foot'	Part of the California vowel shift.<ref name="eckert"/>Template:Failed verification Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA.
FrenchTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:Audio-IPA	'I'	Only somewhat rounded;Template:Sfnp may be transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA. Also described as close-mid Template:IPAblink.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> May be more front for a number of speakers. See French phonology
German	Chemnitz dialectTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'bliss'	Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA.Template:Sfnp
Irish	MunsterTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'school'	Allophone of Template:IPA between a broad and a slender consonant.Template:Sfnp See Irish phonology
LuxembourgishTemplate:Sfnp		Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'thin'	Only slightly rounded; less often realized as unrounded Template:IPA.Template:Sfnp See Luxembourgish phonology
Norwegian	Urban EastTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'nut'	Also described as open-mid front Template:IPAblink;Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA. See Norwegian phonology
Plautdietsch	Canadian Old ColonyTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:IPA	'bumps'	Mid-centralized from Template:IPAblink, to which it corresponds in other dialects.Template:Sfnp
Swedish	Central StandardTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp	Template:Lang	Template:Audio-IPA	'full'	Pronounced with compressed lips, more closely transcribed Template:IPA or Template:IPA. Less often described as close-mid Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Swedish phonology
Tajik	Northern dialects	Template:Lang/Template:Transliteration	Template:IPA	'mountain'	Typically described as close-mid Template:IPAblink. See Tajik phonology

References

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External links

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