Close central rounded vowel

Vowels

See also: IPA, Consonants

Edit - 2×	Front	Near-front	Central	Near-back	Back
Close	i • y ɨ • ʉ ɯ • u ɪ • ʏ • ʊ e • ø ɘ • ɵ ɤ • o ə ɛ • œ ɜ • ɞ ʌ • ɔ æ ɐ a • ɶ ɑ • ɒ
Near‑close
Close‑mid
Mid
Open‑mid
Near‑open
Open

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right
represents a rounded vowel.

IPA – number	318
IPA – text	ʉ
IPA – image
Entity	ʉ
X-SAMPA	}
Kirshenbaum	u"
Sound sample (help·info)

The close central rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ʉ, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is }. The IPA symbol is the letter u with a horizontal bar. Both the symbol and the sound are commonly referred to as "barred-u".

There is also a close central compressed vowel which contrasts with both the rounded and unrounded close central vowels.

Close central rounded vowel

Features

• Its vowel height is close, which means the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
• Its vowel backness is central, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a front vowel and a back vowel.
• Its vowel roundedness is rounded, which means that the lips are rounded and protrude, and the inner surfaces are exposed.

Occurrence

Near-close central rounded vowel

The near-close central rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The International Phonetic Alphabet can represent this sound as < ʊ̈ > (centralized ʊ) or < ʉ̞ > (lowered ʉ). Recently the OED has adopted an unofficial extension of the IPA, ʊ̵, that is a conflation of ʊ and ʉ, for this sound or for free variation between [ʊ] and [ə].

Features

• Its vowel height is near-close, which means the tongue is positioned similarly to a close vowel, but slightly less constricted.
• Its vowel backness is central, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a front vowel and a back vowel.
• Its vowel roundedness is rounded, which means that the lips are rounded.

Occurrence

References

Bibliography

• Jones, Daniel & Ward Dennis (1969), The Phonetics of Russian, Cambridge University Press
• Matthews, William (1938), written at Detroit, Cockney, Past and Present: a Short History of the Dialect of London, Gale Research Company
• Przedlacka, Joanna (2001), "Estuary English and RP: Some Recent Findings", Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 36: 35-50
• Watson, Kevin (2007), "Liverpool English", Journal of the International Phonetic Association 37 (3): 351-360br:Vogalenn serr a-greiz ront

cs:Zavřená střední zaokrouhlená samohláska de:Gerundeter geschlossener Zentralvokal fr:Voyelle fermée centrale arrondie ko:중설 원순 고모음 ja:円唇中舌狭母音 pl:Samogłoska przymknięta centralna zaokrąglona ro:Vocală închisă centrală rotunjită