Close central rounded vowel
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| Edit - 2× | Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back |
| Close | |||||
| Near‑close | |||||
| Close‑mid | |||||
| Mid | |||||
| Open‑mid | |||||
| Near‑open | |||||
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represents a rounded vowel.
This article covers two similar vowels, the close central rounded vowel and the near-close central rounded vowel.
Contents |
| IPA – number | 318 |
| IPA – text | ʉ |
| IPA – image | |
| Entity | ʉ |
| X-SAMPA | } |
| Kirshenbaum | u" |
| Sound sample | |
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.
- 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.
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Australian | boot | [bʉ̟ːt] | 'boot' | See Australian English phonology |
| New Zealand | |||||
| Irish | ciúin | [cʉ̠ːnʲ] | 'quiet' | Allophone of /uː/ and /u/. See Irish phonology | |
| Norwegian | hus | [hʉːs] | 'house' | See Norwegian phonology | |
| Russian | кюрий | [ˈkʲʉrʲɪj] | 'curium' | Only occurs between palatalized consonants. See Russian phonology | |
| Swedish | ful | [fʉ̟ːl] | 'ugly' | See Swedish phonology | |
| It has been suggested that Near-close_near-back_vowel#Near-close_central_rounded_vowel be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
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).
- 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.
This occurs in some English dialects as a reduced form of the vowel /uː/. (See Unstressed and reduced vowels in English.)
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | euphoria | [jʊ̈ˈfɔəɹiə] | 'euphoria' | See English phonology | |
Recently the OED has adopted an unofficial extension of the IPA, ʊ, that is a conflation of ʊ and ʉ, for this sound or for free variation between [ʊ] and [ə].