Vowels:
Vowels are created by using an open position of the articulators. They are important to us because they form the nucleus of syllables, …show more content…
This is because they are made by putting the tongue and mandible in their most posterior positions and adding voicing. The most common back close vowels in General American English are: /ɯ/, /u/, and /ʊ/. /u/ and /ʊ/. The vowel /u/, is in the more superior position and makes the sound found in the nucleus of the syllable “boom.” The near-close near-back unrounded vowel, /ʊ/, is found in a more inferior and slightly anterior position to /ɯ/ and /u/, as its name implies. An example of the sound /ʊ/ can be found in the nucleus of syllables such as “roof” or …show more content…
Only the close-mid back rounded vowel, /o/, is used commonly in GAE. An example of this phoneme can be found in the nucleus of the syllable “tow.”
Inferior to the close-mid back vowels are open-mid back vowels. There are only two, the open-mid back unrounded vowel, /ʌ/, and the open-mid back rounded vowel, /ɔ/. An example of a word containing the phoneme /ʌ/ is “up.” An example of a word with the phoneme /ɔ/ is “for.” They are used in General American English.
Lastly, there are open back vowels which are the most inferior and posteriorly placed vowels. They are grouped in pairs as unrounded and rounded. The open back unrounded vowel /ɑ/, can be found in the nucleus of the syllable “clock.” And is the most common General American English open back vowel.
Overall, the vowel portion of the IPA is sorted by the position even if they are phonemically similar. It illustrates the voiced, open-position sounds, not the syllabic consonants. They form the nucleus of syllables and are organized and described visually to indicate the articulation of the tongue and