Near-close near-front rounded vowel

File:Spectrogram of near-close near-front rounded vowel (IPA ʏ).png

Spectrogram of

The near-close front rounded vowel, or near-high front 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 Template:Angbr IPA, a small capital version of the Latin letter y, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is Y.

Handbook of the International Phonetic Association defines as a mid-centralized (lowered and centralized) close front rounded vowel (transcribed or ), and the current official IPA name of the vowel transcribed with the symbol Template:Angbr IPA is near-close near-front rounded vowel.Template:Sfnp However, acoustic analysis of cardinal vowels as produced by Daniel Jones and John C. Wells has shown that basically all cardinal front rounded vowels (so not just Template:IPAblink but also ) are near-front (or front-central) in their articulation, so may be just a lowered cardinal Template:IPAblink (), a vowel that is intermediate between cardinal Template:IPAblink and cardinal Template:IPAblink. In many languages that contrast close, near-close and close-mid front rounded vowels, there is no appreciable difference in backness between them.Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp In some transcriptions, the vowel is transcribed with Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA. When that is the case, this article transcribes it with the symbols Template:Angbr IPA (a lowered Template:Angbr IPA) and Template:Angbr IPA (a raised Template:Angbr IPA), respectively. Template:Angbr IPA implies too weak a rounding in some cases (specifically in the case of the vowels that are described as tense in Germanic languages, which are typically transcribed with Template:Angbr IPA), which would have to be specified as Template:Angbr IPA.

In some languages, however, Template:Angbr IPA is used to transcribe a vowel that is as low as close-mid but still fits the definition of a lowered and centralized (or just lowered) cardinal Template:IPAblink. It occurs in German Standard German as well as some dialects of English (such as Estuary),Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp and it can be transcribed with the symbol Template:Angbr IPA (a lowered Template:Angbr IPA) in narrow transcription. For the close-mid front rounded vowel that is not usually transcribed with the symbol Template:Angbr IPA (or Template:Angbr IPA), see close-mid front rounded vowel.

In most languages, the rounded vowel is pronounced with compressed lips (in an exolabial manner). However, in a few cases, the lips are protruded (in an endolabial manner), such as in Swedish, which contrasts the two types of rounding.

Transcription

The near-close front rounded vowel is transcribed with Template:Angbr IPA, Template:Angbr IPA and Template:Angbr IPA in world's languages. However, when the Latin Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA are used for this vowel, Template:Angbr IPA may still be used for phonological reasons for a vowel that is lower than near-close, potentially leading to confusion. This is the case in several Germanic language varieties, as well as in some transcriptions of Shanghainese.

In the following table, the difference between compressed and protruded vowels is ignored, except in the case of Swedish. Short vowels transcribed with Template:Angbr IPA, Template:Angbr IPA, Template:Angbr IPA and Template:Angbr IPA in broad transcription are assumed to have a weak rounding in most cases.

Symbol	Phonetic values in various language varieties
	Dutch	Dzongkha	Frisian languages		German	Limburgish			Shanghainese	Swedish
			Fering	Saterland	Northern Standard	Hamont-Achel	Maastricht	Weert		Central Standard
Template:Angbr IPA	Template:IPAblink ~ ~ Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	same as Template:Angbr IPA
Template:Angbr IPA	Template:IPAblink ~ ~ Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink ~	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	same as Template:Angbr IPA	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	~ Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink ~ ~ Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	same as Template:Angbr IPA	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink	same as Template:Angbr IPA	same as Template:Angbr IPA	same as Template:Angbr IPA		same as Template:Angbr IPA
Template:Angbr IPA	~ Template:IPAblink ~ Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink ~ Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink		Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink ~		Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	same as Template:Angbr IPA	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	same as Template:Angbr IPA	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink
Template:Angbr IPA	Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	Template:N/A	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:N/A	Template:N/A

Near-close front compressed vowel

The near-close front compressed vowel is typically transcribed in IPA simply as Template:Angbr IPA, and that is the convention used in this article. There is no dedicated diacritic for compression in the IPA. However, the compression of the lips can be shown with the letter Template:IPAalink as Template:Angbr IPA (simultaneous and labial compression) or Template:Angbr IPA ( modified with labial compression). The spread-lip diacritic Template:Angbr IPA may also be used with a rounded vowel letter Template:Angbr IPA as an symbol, though technically 'spread' means unrounded.

The close-mid front compressed vowel can be transcribed Template:Angbr IPA, Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA.

Features

Template:Near-close vowel Template:Front vowel Template:Compressed vowel The prototypical has a weak compressed rounding, more like Template:IPAblink than the neighboring cardinal vowels.

Occurrence

Because front rounded vowels are assumed to have compression, and few descriptions cover the distinction, some of the following may actually have protrusion. Vowels transcribed with Template:Angbr IPA and Template:Angbr IPA may have a stronger rounding than the prototypical value of Template:Angbr IPA.

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Albanian	Gheg			'star'
Bashkir		/Template:Transliteration	{{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Ba-дүрт.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler	'four'
Bavarian	NorthernTemplate:Sfnp			'much'	Allophone of before .Template:Sfnp
BuwalTemplate:Sfnp				'bitter'	Palatalized allophone of when adjacent to a labialized consonant.Template:Sfnp
Chinese	ShanghaineseTemplate:Sfnp	/ Template:Transliteration		'liver'	Realization of in open syllables and in closed syllables. Near-close in the former case, close-mid in the latter.Template:Sfnp
Danish	Standard			'buy'	Also described as close-mid Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Danish phonology
Dutch	StandardTemplate:Sfnp			'now'	Also transcribed as close front Template:IPAblinkTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp and, in the Standard Northern accent, as close central Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See Dutch phonology
English	EstuaryTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp	foot		'foot'	Possible realization of and . In the former case, the height varies between near-close and close-mid .Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp
	Multicultural LondonTemplate:Sfnp				Possible realization of .Template:Sfnp
	Rural white Southern AmericanTemplate:Sfnp				Can be central Template:IPAblink instead.Template:Sfnp
	West CountryTemplate:Sfnp				Possible realization of and .Template:Sfnp
	New ZealandTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp	nurse		'nurse'	Possible realization of (and also ).Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp See New Zealand English phonology
	Ulster	mule		'mule'	Short allophone of ; occurs only after . See English phonology
	Multicultural London	food	{{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Fʏːd.wav" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler	'food'
Faroese				'mug'	See Faroese phonology
French	ParisianTemplate:Sfnp			'you'	Also described as close Template:IPAblink;Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See French phonology
	QuebecTemplate:Sfnp			'moon'	Allophone of in closed syllables.Template:Sfnp See Quebec French phonology
German	StandardTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp			'protect'	Close-mid; it may be as high as Template:IPAblink for some speakers.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp See Standard German phonology
	Some speakersTemplate:Sfnp			'to swim'	Allophone of before labial consonants. Used by some speakers in Northern and Central Germany.Template:Sfnp See Standard German phonology
HungarianTemplate:Sfnp			{{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Hu-üt.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler	'hit'	Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See Hungarian phonology
IcelandicTemplate:Sfnp				'friend'	Close-mid;Template:Sfnp also described as central Template:IPAblink. See Icelandic phonology
Kazakh		/		'go'
Kurdish				'yesterday'	Allophone of /weː/ before consonant.
Low GermanTemplate:Sfnp		/		'little'
NorwegianTemplate:Sfnp				'new'	The example word is from Urban East Norwegian, in which the vowel varies between compressed and protruded Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp Its height has been variously described as near-close Template:Sfnp and close Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Norwegian phonology.
Saterland FrisianTemplate:Sfnp				'to rain'	Phonetic realization of and . Near-close in the former case, close-mid in the latter. Phonetically, the latter is nearly identical to (Template:IPAblink).Template:Sfnp
ScotsTemplate:Sfnp				'boot'	May be central Template:IPAblink instead.Template:Sfnp
Swedish	Central StandardTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp			'out'	Often realized as a sequence or Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp (hear the word: {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Sv-ut.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler). The height has been variously described as near-close Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp and close Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp Typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA; it is central Template:IPAblink in other dialects. See Swedish phonology
TurkishTemplate:Sfnp				'proverb'	Allophone of described variously as "word-final"Template:Sfnp and "occurring in final open syllable of a phrase".Template:Sfnp See Turkish phonology
TurkmenTemplate:Sfnp				'Turkmen'
Wymysorys				'boys'

Near-close front protruded vowel

Template:Infobox IPA/core1 Catford notesTemplate:Full citation needed that most languages with rounded front and back vowels use distinct types of labialization, protruded back vowels and compressed front vowels. However, a few languages, such as Scandinavian languages, have protruded front vowels. One of them, Swedish, even contrasts the two types of rounding in front vowels as well as height and duration.Template:Sfnp

As there are no diacritics in the IPA to distinguish protruded and compressed rounding, the old diacritic for labialization, Template:Angbr IPA, will be used here as an ad hoc symbol for protruded front vowels. Another possible transcription is Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA (a near-close front vowel modified by endolabialization), but that could be misread as a diphthong.

The close-mid front protruded vowel can be transcribed Template:Angbr IPA, Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA.

For the close-mid front protruded vowel that is not usually transcribed with the symbol Template:Angbr IPA (or Template:Angbr IPA), see close-mid front protruded vowel.

Acoustically, this sound is "between" the more typical compressed near-close front vowel and the unrounded near-close front vowel Template:IPAblink.

Features

Template:Near-close vowel Template:Front vowel Template:Protruded vowel The prototypical has a weak rounding (though it is compressed, rather than protruded), more like Template:IPAblink than the neighboring cardinal vowels.

Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
NorwegianTemplate:Sfnp				'new'	The example word is from Urban East Norwegian, in which the vowel varies between protruded and compressed Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp Its height has been variously described as near-close Template:Sfnp and close Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Norwegian phonology.
Swedish	Central StandardTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp		{{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "sv-ylle.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler	'wool'	The height has been variously described as close-mid ,Template:Sfnp near-close Template:Sfnp and close Template:IPAblink.Template:Sfnp See Swedish phonology

Sources

• Template:SOWL
• Template:Cite thesis

External links

• Template:Phoible
• Template:Phoible