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Glite Dictionary
unrounded vowel

unrounded vowel

7.8
A vowel sound you make with the lips relaxed or pulled back
  • noun
  • /ʌnˈraʊndɪd ˈvaʊəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vocal no redondeada
  • The sound of the English 'ee' as in 'feet' is an example of an unrounded vowel.

Examples

  • The sound /i/ is an unrounded vowel.

  • Phonetics students must learn to distinguish between a rounded and an unrounded vowel when analyzing speech.

  • In some languages, every vowel has both a rounded and an unrounded vowel counterpart.

  • In English, the letter 'i' represents an unrounded vowel.

  • Phonetics students must learn to distinguish between a rounded and an unrounded vowel when analyzing speech.

  • In some languages, every vowel has both a rounded and an unrounded vowel counterpart.

  • The sound of the English 'ee' as in 'feet' is an example of an unrounded vowel.

Antonyms

rounded vowel
  • Specialized
7.7

A vowel sound made with the lips pushed forward into a small circle

How Rounded

rounded vowel
  • Specialized
7.7
unrounded vowel
  • Specialized
7.8

Surface Forms

unrounded vowel singular
unrounded vowels plural

Morphology

unrounded + vowel

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'unrounded' means produced without lip rounding and 'vowel' is a voiced open-tract sound, so together they denote a vowel produced with lips not rounded. Although the term is technical, its meaning is transparently derived from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic descriptive pattern, so a learner who knows both words will understand it.

Etymology

Unrounded vowel describes a vowel sound where the lips stay flat or are pulled back instead of forming a round shape. So, unlike a 'rounded' vowel, the lips are not rounded, which is why this sound is called 'unrounded'.