Is a back vowel?

Asked by: Julie Anh

A back vowel is any in a class of vowel sound used in spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a back vowel is that the highest point of the tongue is positioned relatively back in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.

Is a front or back vowel?

tongue position

A front vowel is pronounced with the highest part of the tongue pushed forward in the mouth and somewhat arched. The a in “had,” the e in “bed,” and the i in “fit” are front vowels. A back vowel—e.g., the u in “rule” and the o…

What is back vowel example?

A back vowel—e.g., the u in “rule” and the o in “pole”—is produced with the back part of the tongue raised toward the soft palate (velum).

How many back vowels are there?

Back vowels explained. The largest group of simple vowels is the back vowels. These are shaped with the back of the tongue raised towards the soft palate (velum). There are six back vowels, compared to the four front vowels and two central vowels.

Which vowel sound is back?

The back vowels are these symbols here: /u, ʊ, ɔ, ɑ/. The first symbol /u/ represents the sound OO, like in boot. It is made with the lips rounded, the jaw closed, and the tongue back and high in the mouth.

What is a high back vowel?

The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨u⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is u .