Central Vowel

A central vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a central vowel is that the tongue is positioned halfway between a front vowel and a back vowel. The central vowels identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are: * close central unrounded vowel [ɨ] * close central rounded vowel [ʉ] * close-mid central unrounded vowel [ɘ] * close-mid central rounded vowel [ɵ] * mid central vowel [ə] * open-mid central unrounded vowel [ɜ] * open-mid central rounded vowel [ɞ] * near-open central vowel [ɐ] * open central unrounded vowel [a] (unofficial but most frequent usage)
This page is dedicated to the production of the CENTRAL VOWEL sounds. stressed midcentral vowel unstressed midcentral vowel stressed lower midcentral vowel unstressed lower midcentral vowel

stressed midcentral vowel
To form the phoneme , press the blade of the tongue firmly against the alveolar ridge. The tip of the tongue may be either pointed or slightly curled back. There is little lip rounding and the jaw is moderately open.
Orthographic spellings: er = | terse | | ear = heard | | | ir = | thirst | | our = courage | | | ur = | absurd | | yr = myrrh | | | or = | word | | olo = colone | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

unstressed midcentral vowel sometimes called the hooked schwa, is produced in approximately the same manner as . However, the tongue is slightly lower and more relaxed. is articulated with less force than . It is found only in unstressed syllables.
Orthographic spellings: er = | mother | | | | | ur = | mixture | | | | | or = | color | | | | | ar = | dollar | | | | |

stressed lower midcentral vowel
To form the phoneme , lay the front of the tongue on the floor of the mouth and make it relatively relaxed. The middle of the tongue is moderately tense where it rises slightly. The jaw is also relaxed and there is no lip rounding.
Orthographic spellings: u = | hundred | | oe = does | | | o = | cover | | oo = blood | | | ou = | double | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

unstressed lower midcentral vowel commonly called a Schwa, is an unstressed lower midcentral vowel. Sometimes called a "neutral" sound, the schwa is formed in the same way as , but is shorter and weaker. The schwa is the most commonly used phoneme in the English language.
Orthographic spellings: a = | sofa | | | | | e = | benefit | | | | | i = | April | | | | |