Close back rounded vowel

Close back rounded vowel
u
IPA number308
Audio sample
Encoding
Entity (decimal)u
Unicode (hex)U+0075
X-SAMPAu
Braille⠥ (braille pattern dots-136)
IPA: Vowels
Front Central Back
Close
•
•
•
Near-close
•
•
Close-mid
•
•
•
Mid
•
•
Open-mid
•
•
•
Near-open
•
Open
•
•
•

Legend: unrounded • rounded

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⟩.

In most languages, this rounded vowel is pronounced with protruded lips ('endolabial'). However, in a few cases the lips are compressed ('exolabial').

[u] alternates with labio-velar approximant [w] in certain languages, such as French, and in the diphthongs of some languages, [u̯] with the non-syllabic diacritic and [w] are used in different transcription systems to represent the same sound.

Close back protruded vowel

The close back protruded vowel is the most common variant of the close back rounded vowel. It is typically transcribed in IPA simply as ⟨u⟩ (the convention used in this article). As there is no dedicated IPA diacritic for protrusion, the symbol for the close back rounded vowel with an old diacritic for labialization, ⟨  ̫⟩, can be used as an ad hoc symbol ⟨u̫⟩. Another possible transcription is ⟨uʷ⟩ or ⟨ɯʷ⟩ (a close back vowel modified by endolabialization), but that could be misread as a diphthong.

Features

Sagittal section of a vocal tract pronouncing ⟨u⟩. Note that a wavy glottis in this diagram indicates a voiced sound.

Occurrence

LanguageWordIPAMeaningNotes
AfrikaansStandardboek[bu̜k]'book'Only weakly rounded. See Afrikaans phonology
ArabicStandardجنوب / ǧanuub[d͡ʒaˈnuːb]'south'See Arabic phonology
ArmenianEasternդուռ / dur[dur]'door'
Bengali তবু [t̪obu] 'still' See Bengali phonology
BavarianAmstetten dialectund[und̥]'and'Contrasts close [u], near-close [o̝], close-mid [o] and open-mid [ɔ] back rounded vowels in addition to the open central unrounded [ä].
Bulgarianлуд / lud[ɫut̪]'crazy'See Bulgarian phonology
Catalansuc[ˈs̺uk]'juice'See Catalan phonology
ChineseMandarin土 / tǔ[tʰu˨˩˦]'earth'See Standard Chinese phonology
Cantonese夫 / fū[fuː˥]ⓘ'man'See Cantonese phonology
Shanghainese瓜 / ku[ku˩]'melon'Height varies between close and close-mid; contrasts with a close to close-mid back compressed vowel.
Chuvashурам[uˈram]'street'
DanishStandarddu[tu]'you'See Danish phonology
DutchStandardvoet[vut]ⓘ'foot'Somewhat fronted in Belgian Standard Dutch.
EnglishAustralianbook[buk]'book'Corresponds to [ʊ] in other accents. See Australian English phonology
Cape FlatsMay be advanced to [ʉ], or lowered and unrounded to [ɤ]. See South African English phonology
Cultivated South Africanboot[bu̟ut]'boot'Typically more front [ʉu] than cardinal [uw]. See White South African English phonology and American English phonology.
General American
GeordieMay be central [ʉː] instead.
IrishRealized as central [ʉː] in Ulster.
Some Multicultural London speakersMore commonly front [yː].
Conservative Received PronunciationRealized as central [ʉ] in Standard Southern British.
Welsh
Pakistani[buːʈ]
Greater New York City[buːt]
New Zealandtreacle[ˈtɹ̝̊iːku]'treacle'Possible realization of the unstressed vowel /ɯ/, which is variable in rounding and ranges from central to (more often) back and close to close-mid. Corresponds to /əl/ in other accents. See New Zealand English phonology
Estoniansule[ˈsule̞]'feather' (gen. sg.)See Estonian phonology
Finnishkukka[ˈkukːɑ]'flower'See Finnish phonology
Faroesegulur[ˈkuːlʊɹ]'yellow'See Faroese phonology
Frenchoù[u]ⓘ'where'See French phonology
Georgianგუდა / guda[ɡudɑ]'leather bag'
GermanStandardFuß[fuːs]ⓘ'foot'See Standard German phonology
Many speakersStunde[ˈʃtundə]'hour'The usual realization of /ʊ/ in Switzerland, Austria and partially also in Western and Southwestern Germany (Palatinate, Swabia). See Standard German phonology
GreekModern Standardπου / pou[pu]'where'See Modern Greek phonology
HindustaniHindiख़ून(khoon)[xuːn]'blood'See Hindustani phonology.
Urduخون(khoon)
Hungarianút[uːt̪]'way'See Hungarian phonology
Icelandicþú[θ̠u]'you'See Icelandic phonology
Indonesian Standardunta[unta]'camel'See Indonesian phonology
Italiantutto[ˈt̪ut̪t̪o]'all', 'everything'See Italian phonology
Kaingang[ˈndukːi]'in the belly'
Kazakhтуған / tuğan[t̪ʰuˈʁɑ̝̃n̪]'native'Transcribed phonemically as ⟨ʊw⟩.
Khmerភូមិ / phumĭ[pʰuːm]'village'See Khmer phonology
Korean눈 / nun[nuːn]'snow'See Korean phonology
KurdishKurmanji (Northern)çû[tʃʰuː]'wood'See Kurdish phonology
Sorani (Central)چوو / çû
Palewani (Southern)
LatinClassicalsus[suːs]'pig'
Limburgishsjoen[ʃu̟n]'beautiful'Back or near-back, depending on the dialect. The example word is from the Maastrichtian dialect.
Lower Sorbianzub[z̪up]'tooth'
LuxembourgishLuucht[luːχt]'air'See Luxembourgish phonology
Malayubat[u.bät]'medicine'See Malay phonology
Malayalamഉപ്പ്upːɨ̆'salt'See Malayalam phonology
Mongolianүүр / üür[uːɾɘ̆]'nest'
Mpadekusumu[kusumu]'mouse'
Nogaiсув[suː]'water'
Persianدور / dur [duɾ]'far'See Persian phonology
Polishbuk[buk]ⓘ'beech tree'Also represented orthographically by ⟨ó⟩. See Polish phonology
Portuguesetu[ˈtu]'you'See Portuguese phonology
Romanianunu[ˈun̪u]'one'See Romanian phonology
Russianузкий / uzkiy / uzkij[ˈus̪kʲɪj]ⓘ'narrow'See Russian phonology
Scottish Gaelicùbhlan[ˈuːl̪ˠən]'apples'Normal realisation of /uː/ in most dialects. In Lewis and Wester Ross as an allophone in proximity to broad sonorants; /uː/ elsewhere fronted to [ʉː] or [yː].
Serbo-Croatianдуга / duga[d̪ǔːɡä]'rainbow'See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Shiwiar[example needed]
Spanishcurable[kuˈɾäβ̞le̞]'curable'See Spanish phonology
Sothotumo[tʼumɔ]'fame'Contrasts close, near-close and close-mid back rounded vowels. See Sotho phonology
Swahiliubongo[ubongo]'brain'
Tagalogutang[ˈʔutɐŋ]'debt'
ThaiStandardชลบุรี / chonburi[tɕ͡ʰōn.bū.rīː]ⓘ'Chonburi'
Turkishuzak[uˈz̪äk]'far'See Turkish phonology
Udmurtурэтэ / urėtė[urete]'to divide'
Ukrainianрух / rukh[rux]'motion'See Ukrainian phonology
Upper Sorbianžuk[ʒuk]'beetle'
Urduدُور / dur[d̪uːɾ]'far'See Urdu phonology
Welshmwg[muːɡ]'smoke'See Welsh phonology
West Frisianjûn[juːn]'evening, tonight'See West Frisian phonology
Yorubaitọju[itɔju]
ZapotecTilquiapangdu[ɡdu]'all'

Close back compressed vowel

Close back compressed vowel
u᫦
ɯᵝ

Some languages, such as Japanese and Swedish, have a close back vowel that has a distinct type of rounding, called compressed or exolabial. Only Shanghainese is known to contrast it with the more typical protruded (endolabial) close back vowel, but the height of both vowels varies from close to close-mid.

Compression of the lips can be shown with the letter ⟨β̞⟩ as ⟨ɯ͡β̞⟩ (simultaneous [ɯ] and labial compression) or ⟨ɯᵝ⟩ ([ɯ] modified with labial compression), though that can suggest that the vowel is a diphthong (as indeed it is in Swedish).

Features

Occurrence

LanguageWordIPAMeaningNotes
ChineseShanghainese都/tub[tɯᵝ˩]'capital'Height varies between close and close-mid; contrasts with a close to close-mid back protruded vowel.
Japanese空気 / kūki[kɯ̟ᵝːki]ⓘ'air'Near-back; may be realized as central [ɨᵝ] by younger speakers. See Japanese phonology
Lizu[mɯ̟ᵝ˥˧]'feather'Near-back; following bilabial and alveolar stops, it is realized as a syllabic trill [ʙ̩].
Norwegianmot[mɯᵝːt]'courage'The example word is from Urban East Norwegian, in which the vowel can be diphthongized to [ɯᵝə̯]. See Norwegian phonology
SwedishCentral Standardoro[ɯᵝːrɯᵝː]ⓘ'unease'Often realized as a sequence [ɯᵝβ̞] or [ɯᵝβ]. See Swedish phonology

See also

Citations

  1. ↑ While the International Phonetic Association prefers the terms "close" and "open" for vowel height, many linguists use "high" and "low".
  2. ↑ Donaldson (1993), pp. 2, 5.
  3. ↑ Donaldson (1993), p. 5.
  4. ↑ Thelwall & Sa'Adeddin (1990), p. 38.
  5. ↑ Dum-Tragut (2009), p. 13.
  6. 1 2 Traunmüller (1982), cited in Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:290)
  7. ↑ Ternes & Vladimirova-Buhtz (1999), p. 56.
  8. ↑ Carbonell & Llisterri (1992), p. 54.
  9. ↑ Lee & Zee (2003), pp. 110–111.
  10. ↑ Duanmu (2007), pp. 35–36.
  11. ↑ Zee (1999), pp. 59–60.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Chen & Gussenhoven (2015), pp. 328–329.
  13. ↑ Grønnum (1998), p. 100.
  14. ↑ Basbøll (2005), p. 46.
  15. ↑ Gussenhoven (1992), p. 47.
  16. 1 2 Verhoeven (2005), p. 245.
  17. ↑ Cox & Palethorpe (2007), p. 344.
  18. ↑ Cox & Fletcher (2017), p. 65.
  19. 1 2 Finn (2004), p. 970.
  20. ↑ Lass (2002), p. 116.
  21. ↑ Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009).
  22. ↑ Watt & Allen (2003), p. 268.
  23. ↑ Hickey, Raymond (2004). Bernd Kortmann and Edgar W. Schneider (ed.). A Handbook of Varieties of English Volume 1: Phonology. De Gruyter. p. 91.
  24. ↑ Cruttenden (2014), p. 91.
  25. ↑ Roach (2004), p. 242.
  26. ↑ Collins & Mees (1990), p. 95.
  27. ↑ Connolly (1990), p. 125.
  28. ↑ Tench (1990), p. 135.
  29. ↑ Mahboob & Ahmar (2004), p. 1007.
  30. ↑ Hickey, Raymond (2004). Bernd Kortmann and Edgar W. Schneider (ed.). A Handbook of Varieties of English Volume 1: Phonology. De Gruyter. p. 287.
  31. ↑ Labov, William; Ash, Sharon; Boberg, Charles (2006). The Atlas of North American English. chpt. 17
  32. 1 2 "NZE Phonology" (PDF). Victoria University of Wellington. p. 3.
  33. 1 2 Bauer & Warren (2004), p. 585.
  34. ↑ Asu & Teras (2009), p. 368.
  35. ↑ Iivonen & Harnud (2005), pp. 60, 66.
  36. ↑ Suomi, Toivanen & Ylitalo (2008), p. 21.
  37. ↑ Árnason (2011), pp. 68, 74.
  38. ↑ Fougeron & Smith (1993), p. 73.
  39. ↑ Collins & Mees (2013), p. 225.
  40. ↑ Shosted & Chikovani (2006), pp. 261–262.
  41. ↑ Hall (2003), pp. 87, 107.
  42. ↑ Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 34.
  43. 1 2 Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 64.
  44. ↑ Arvaniti (2007), p. 28.
  45. ↑ Trudgill (2009), p. 81.
  46. ↑ Szende (1994), p. 92.
  47. ↑ Árnason (2011), p. 60.
  48. ↑ Einarsson (1945:10), cited in Gussmann (2011:73)
  49. ↑ "Indonesian Alphabet and Pronunciation". mylanguages.org. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  50. ↑ Rogers & d'Arcangeli (2004), p. 119.
  51. ↑ Jolkesky (2009), pp. 676–677, 682.
  52. ↑ Thackston (2006a), p. 1.
  53. ↑ Khan & Lescot (1970), pp. 8–16.
  54. ↑ Fattah describes the sound as being voyelle longue centrale arrondie (p. 116).
  55. ↑ Wheelock & LaFleur (2011).
  56. 1 2 Gussenhoven & Aarts (1999), p. 159.
  57. 1 2 Peters (2006), p. 119.
  58. 1 2 Stone (2002), p. 600.
  59. ↑ Gilles & Trouvain (2013), p. 70.
  60. ↑ Iivonen & Harnud (2005), pp. 62, 66–67.
  61. ↑ Allison (2006).
  62. ↑ Jassem (2003), p. 105.
  63. ↑ Cruz-Ferreira (1995), p. 91.
  64. ↑ Sarlin (2014), p. 18.
  65. ↑ Jones & Ward (1969), p. 67.
  66. ↑ "Aspiration". Scottish Gaelic Dialect Survey. Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  67. ↑ Oftedal (1956), p. 75–76.
  68. ↑ Landau et al. (1999), p. 67.
  69. ↑ Fast Mowitz (1975), p. 2.
  70. ↑ Martínez-Celdrán, Fernández-Planas & Carrera-Sabaté (2003), p. 256.
  71. 1 2 Doke & Mofokeng (1974), p. ?.
  72. ↑ Tingsabadh & Abramson (1993), p. 24.
  73. ↑ Zimmer & Orgun (1999), p. 155.
  74. ↑ Göksel & Kerslake (2005), p. 11.
  75. ↑ Iivonen & Harnud (2005), pp. 64, 68.
  76. ↑ Danyenko & Vakulenko (1995), p. 4.
  77. ↑ Šewc-Schuster (1984), p. 20.
  78. ↑ Bamgboṣe (1966), p. 166.
  79. ↑ Merrill (2008), p. 109.
  80. ↑ Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996), p. 295.
  81. 1 2 Okada (1999), p. 118.
  82. 1 2 Chirkova & Chen (2013), p. 78.
  83. ↑ Vanvik (1979), pp. 13, 17.
  84. ↑ While Vanvik (1979) does not describe the exact type of rounding of this vowel, some other sources (e.g. Haugen (1974:40) and Kristoffersen (2000:16)) state explicitly that it is compressed.
  85. ↑ Vanvik (1979), p. 17.
  86. 1 2 Engstrand (1999), p. 140.
  87. ↑ Rosenqvist (2007), p. 9.

References