Talk:Near-open central vowel

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[edit] Roundedness

Is this vowel supposed to be rounded or not rounded??

Its roundedness is unspecificed. Nohat 17:12, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Continental Portuguese

Although this symbol is used for transcription, isn't the Portuguese vowel higher than this, mid-open or even mid? kwami 01:25, 2005 August 17 (UTC)

I am removing the Portuguese example but keeping it here, in case people decide it should go back:

• European Portuguese: amo [ˈɐmɔ]

In Lisbon this vowel is an exemplar of [ə]. It is higher than [ɛ] and [ɔ], and lower than [e] and [o]. At least according to the vowel chart of the IPA Handbook.

The symbol <ɐ> for unstressed a belongs to a non-IPA tradition of rotating a vowel to indicate its unstressed value. Likewise, unstressed e is transcribed <ə>, though it is not [ə] phonetically. kwami 22:25, 2005 August 17 (UTC)

However, juging from the table here, the vowel of European Portuguese you speak of is still lower than a cardinal mid vowel. So maybe it's not totally inconceivable that it be denote [ɐ]. FilipeS 20:08, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] In American English

A vast majority of U.S. English speakers actually do use the phonetic value ʌ in words like but and cut. I know I do, for instance, as does nearly everyone else I've spoken to who isn't from the South (and I've done a lot of travelling). I'm going to update both pages with a note that GA pronunciation of the "short u" sound varies. Dave 06:49, September 8, 2005 (UTC)

According to Ladefoged, the sound in Los Angeles is [ɐ]. It may well be different than the Southern vowel, but that doesn't mean it's a back vowel. The difference could be one of height. I've never seen a formant plot that showed a back vowel. kwami 23:16, 2 January 2006 (UTC)