LINA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Roundedness, Tenseness, Mid Central Vowel
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In this lecture, we focus on the main vowels used in std american english: these vowels can be described in terms of 4 properties: height, backness, roundedness, and tenseness. [ ]=put: all vowels in english are voiced and involve a continuous flow of air thru the oral cavity. English vowels can be categorized by 4 distinctive features: height of the tongue, frontness/backness of the tongue, tenseness/laxness i. e. , whether the tongue muscle is tense or lax, rounded/unrounded i. e. , whether the lips are rounded or not. Height of the tongue: the vertical position of the tongue in the mouth how high or low the tongue is. Backness: the horizontal position of the tongue in the mouth how far forward or backward the tongue is. Rounding: whether the lips are rounded or not during the production of the vowel. Tongue constriction: lax/tense: corresponds to tension of the tongue during production of the vowel (to be discussed below)