4.3 Front Vowels
4.3 Front Vowel
(1) High front
- The /i/ is longer, higher, and slightly diphthongal(symbols such as /i:/, /ij/,
/iy/ in some books) than /ɪ/.
- For some speakers, [i] may be in free variation with [ɪ] in final posi-
tion:
city [sɪti/sɪtɪ] happy [hæpi/hæpɪ]
- The vowel /ɪ/ may undergo “tensing” and be realized as [i] before palato-
alveolar fricatives: fish [fiʃ]
- In African American Vernacular English(AAVE) and in Southern American
English, /ɪ/ tends to be lowered to [ɛ] before nasals: thing [ɵɛŋ]
- Free variation of [ɪ] with [ə] in unstressed syllables (believe [bəliv/bɪliv],
kitchen [kɪʧən/kɪʧɪn]) and in suffixes -ed, -es, -est as in tempted
[tɛmpt(ə/ɪ)d], bushes [bʊʃ(ə/ɪ)z], longest [lɔŋg(ə/ɪ)st]
(1) High front
- The /i/ is longer, higher, and slightly diphthongal(symbols such as /i:/, /ij/,
/iy/ in some books) than /ɪ/.
- For some speakers, [i] may be in free variation with [ɪ] in final posi-
tion:
city [sɪti/sɪtɪ] happy [hæpi/hæpɪ]
- The vowel /ɪ/ may undergo “tensing” and be realized as [i] before palato-
alveolar fricatives: fish [fiʃ]
- In African American Vernacular English(AAVE) and in Southern American
English, /ɪ/ tends to be lowered to [ɛ] before nasals: thing [ɵɛŋ]
- Free variation of [ɪ] with [ə] in unstressed syllables (believe [bəliv/bɪliv]
kitchen [kɪʧən/kɪʧɪn]) and in suffixes -ed, -es, -est as in tempted
[tɛmpt(ə/ɪ)d], bushes [bʊʃ(ə/ɪ)z], longest [lɔŋg(ə/ɪ)st]
(2) Mid front
- Parallel to the tensing of /ɪ/ to [i], the vowel /ɛ/ may be realized as
diphthongal [e] before /ʃ, ʒ/ (e.g. special [speʃəl], cf. spatial) in the South,
and before voiced stops (e.g. bed, dead); as a result, the contrast be-
tween
/e/ and /ɛ/.
- Free Variation: /e/ and /æ/ : apricot, matrix [æ] → [e]
/ɛ/ and /ɪ/ : pen [pɛn] → [pɪn]
(3) Low front
- A low front vowel /æ/ can be realized as a lower and more back
[a]
in Eastern American and some New England varieties: half[haf], rat[rat];
- In the South, a diphthongal allophone is frequently heard:
glass[glæɪs], bad [bæɪd] ( /æ/ → [æɪ])
(2) Mid front
- Parallel to the tensing of /ɪ/ to [i], the vowel /ɛ/ may be realized as
diphthongal [e] before /ʃ, ʒ/ (e.g. special [speʃəl], cf. spatial) in the South,
and before voiced stops (e.g. bed, dead); as a result, the contrast be-
tween
/e/ and /ɛ/.
- Free Variation: /e/ and /æ/ : apricot, matrix [æ] → [e]
/ɛ/ and /ɪ/ : pen [pɛn] → [pɪn]
(3) Low front
- A low front vowel /æ/ can be realized as a lower and more back
[a]
in Eastern American and some New England varieties: half[haf], rat[rat];
- In the South, a diphthongal allophone is frequently heard:
glass[glæɪs], bad [bæɪd] ( /æ/ → [æɪ])
4.4 Central Vowels
4.4 Central Vowel
- The central, low-mid, lax vowel /ʌ/ is found only in stressed sylalbles.
The central, higher lax vowel /ə/ is found only in untressed syllables.
The other central mid tense vowel /ɝ/ is found only in stressed syllables.
cf) herder [hɝdɚ]
/ʌ/ in stressed syllables ( bus[bʌs])
/ə/ in unstressed syllables ( sofa [sofə])
/ɝ/ in stressed syllables before a tautosyllabic [r] ( bird [bɝd])
/ɚ/ in unstressed syllables before a tautosyllabic [r] ( father [[fa.ðɚ])
/ɜr/ in stressed syllables before a heterosyllabic [r] ( courage[kɜ.rəʤ])
/ər/ in unstressed syllables before a heterosyllabic [r] ( parade[pə.red])
4.5 Back vowels
(1) Low back
- While many speakers of American English make a distinction between
/ɔ/ and /a/, as in the pairs collar-caller [kalɚ]-[kɔlɚ], cot-caught [kat]-[kɔt],
many others do not make this distinction and use /a/ for both.
- The central, low-mid, lax vowel /ʌ/ is found only in stressed sylalbles.
The central, higher lax vowel /ə/ is found only in untressed syllables.
The other central mid tense vowel /ɝ/ is found only in stressed syllables.
cf) herder [hɝdɚ]
/ʌ/ in stressed syllables ( bus[bʌs])
/ə/ in unstressed syllables ( sofa [sofə])
/ɝ/ in stressed syllables before a tautosyllabic [r] ( bird [bɝd])
/ɚ/ in unstressed syllables before a tautosyllabic [r] ( father [[fa.ðɚ])
/ɜr/ in stressed syllables before a heterosyllabic [r] ( courage[kɜ.rəʤ])
/ər/ in unstressed syllables before a heterosyllabic [r] ( parade[pə.red])
4.5 Back vowels
(1) Low back
- While many speakers of American English make a distinction between
/ɔ/ and /a/, as in the pairs collar-caller [kalɚ]-[kɔlɚ], cot-caught [kat]-[kɔt],
many others do not make this distinction and use /a/ for both.
- When the vowel is followed by a tautosyllabic /r/, thus born [ɔr]and barn [ar]
are always distinct(cf. orange [ɔrənʤ] or [arənʤ]).
- /a/ has two allophones [a] and [ɒ].
[a] occurs in both open syllables (e.g. spa) and syllables closed by a sono-
rant consonant (e.g. car, prom), while [ɒ] in syllables closed by an
obstruent(e.g. hot, posh)
→ [ɒ] has slight lip rounding and lies between [a] and [ɔ].
(2) High back
- The vowel /u/ is slightly diphthongal ( described as /uw/ in some books).
While /u/ is centralized in the southeastern USA (e.g. school, good), /ʊ/
may undergo “tensing” and be realized as [u] before a palato-alveolar
fricative coda, as in bush [buʃ], douche [duʃ].
- The distinction between /u/ and / ʊ/ is lost before a tautosyllabic /r/ (tour)
or /l/(pull –pool).
- In unstressed syllables preceding another vowel, /u/ may become lax [ʊ]
(e.g. graual [grǽʤʊəl]
- When the vowel is followed by a tautosyllabic /r/, thus born [ɔr]and barn [ar]
are always distinct(cf. orange [ɔrənʤ] or [arənʤ]).
- /a/ has two allophones [a] and [ɒ].
[a] occurs in both open syllables (e.g. spa) and syllables closed by a sono-
rant consonant (e.g. car, prom), while [ɒ] in syllables closed by an
obstruent(e.g. hot, posh)
→ [ɒ] has slight lip rounding and lies between [a] and [ɔ].
(2) High back
- The vowel /u/ is slightly diphthongal ( described as /uw/ in some books).
While /u/ is centralized in the southeastern USA (e.g. school, good), /ʊ/
may undergo “tensing” and be realized as [u] before a palato-alveolar
fricative coda, as in bush [buʃ], douche [duʃ].
- The distinction between /u/ and / ʊ/ is lost before a tautosyllabic /r/ (tour)
or /l/(pull –pool).
- In unstressed syllables preceding another vowel, /u/ may become lax [ʊ]
(e.g. graual [grǽʤʊəl]
