central vowel
- noun
- /ˈsɛntrəl ˈvaʊəl/
- Specialized
:
vocal central
- First, /a/ was fronted and closed to /e/ in Spanish, while in Portuguese it remains a low central vowel.
Examples
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Linguists often study the central vowel sounds to understand variations in pronunciation across different languages.
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In many dialects of English, the central vowel can be heard in words like 'sofa' and 'comma'.
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The phoneme /ʌ/ is an example of a central vowel, as it is produced with the tongue positioned centrally in the mouth.
Antonyms
- Specialized
A vowel sound made with the tongue near the front of the mouth, like in man
- Specialized
A vowel you make with the tongue near the back of the mouth, like the 'o' in pole
How Front
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound meaning is directly deducible from 'central' (in or near the middle) + 'vowel' (a vowel sound): a vowel occupying a middle tongue position. This is a literal, compositional description and a cross-linguistically common phonetic category, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Central vowel names a vowel sound made with the tongue in the middle of the mouth, not near the front or the back. So the word central shows the tongue is in the middle, which is why sounds like the schwa are called central vowels.
