Mid front unrounded vowel

Vowel sound represented by ⟨e̞⟩ or ⟨ɛ̝⟩ in IPA

The mid front unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound that is used in some spoken languages. There is no dedicated symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the exact mid front unrounded vowel between close-mid [e] and open-mid [ɛ], but it is normally written ⟨e⟩. If precision is required, diacritics may be used, such as ⟨e̞⟩ or ⟨ɛ̝⟩ (the former, indicating lowering, being more common). In Sinology and Koreanology, ⟨ᴇ⟩ is sometimes used, for example in the Zhengzhang Shangfang reconstructions or in Chao Yuen Ren Grammar of Spoken Chinese.

For many of the languages that have only one phonemic front unrounded vowel in the mid-vowel area (neither close nor open), the vowel is pronounced as a true mid vowel and is phonetically distinct from either a close-mid or open-mid vowel. Examples are Basque, Spanish, Romanian, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Greek, Hejazi Arabic, Serbo-Croatian and Korean (Seoul dialect). A number of dialects of English also have such a mid front vowel. However, there is no general predisposition. Igbo and Egyptian Arabic, for example, have a close-mid [e], and Bulgarian has an open-mid [ɛ], but none of these languages have another phonemic mid front vowel.

Kensiu, spoken in Malaysia and Thailand, is claimed to be unique in having true-mid vowels that are phonemically distinct from both close-mid and open-mid vowels, without differences in other parameters such as backness or roundedness.^[1]

Features

• Its vowel height is mid, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a close vowel and an open vowel.
• Its vowel backness is front, which means the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
• It is unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded.

Occurrence

Notes

1. Bishop, N. (1996). A preliminary description of Kensiw (Maniq) phonology. Mon–Khmer Studies Journal, 25.
2. Wissing (2016), section "The unrounded mid-front vowel /ɛ/".
3. Abdoh (2010), p. 84.
4. Ternes (1992), p. 433.
5. Lee & Zee (2003), p. 110.
6. Dankovičová (1999), p. 72.
7. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 131.
8. Gordon & Maclagan (2004), p. 609.
9. Wells (1982), p. 305.
10. Roach (2004), p. 242.
11. Labov, William; Ash, Sharon; Boberg, Charles (15 July 1997). "A National Map of the Regional Dialects of American English". Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
12. Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006), p. 7.
13. Roca & Johnson (1999), p. 179.
14. Asu & Teras (2009), pp. 368–369.
15. Asu & Teras (2009), p. 369.
16. Iivonen & Harnud (2005), pp. 60, 66.
17. Suomi, Toivanen & Ylitalo (2008), p. 21.
18. Kohler (1999), p. 87.
19. Hall (2003), pp. 82, 107.
20. Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 34.
21. Marti (1985), p. 27.
22. Arvaniti (2007), p. 28.
23. Trudgill (2009), p. 81.
24. Laufer (1999), p. 98.
25. Szende (1994), p. 92.
26. Kráľ (1988), p. 92.
27. Urua (2004), p. 106.
28. Brodersen (2011).
29. Árnason (2011), pp. 57–60.
30. Bertinetto & Loporcaro (2005), pp. 137–138.
31. Bertinetto & Loporcaro (2005), p. 137.
32. Okada (1999), p. 117.
33. Valenzuela & Gussenhoven (2013), p. 101.
34. Grigorjevs & Jaroslavienė (2015), p. 79, 85.
35. Gussenhoven & Aarts (1999), p. 159.
36. Heijmans & Gussenhoven (1998), p. 107.
37. Reeks Nederlandse Dialectatlassen Zuid-Drente en Noord-Overijssel 1982. H. Entjes.
38. Strandskogen (1979), pp. 15–16.
39. Vanvik (1979), p. 13.
40. Sarlin (2014), p. 18.
41. Jones & Ward (1969), p. 41.
42. Kordić (2006), p. 4.
43. Landau et al. (1999), p. 67.
44. Pavlík (2004), pp. 93, 95.
45. Hanulíková & Hamann (2010), p. 375.
46. Tatjana Srebot-Rejec. "On the vowel system in present-day Slovene" (PDF).
47. Šuštaršič, Komar & Petek (1999), p. 138.
48. Martínez-Celdrán, Fernández-Planas & Carrera-Sabaté (2003), p. 256.
49. Engstrand (1999), p. 140.
50. Tench (2007), p. 230.
51. Zimmer & Orgun (1999), p. 155.
52. Göksel & Kerslake (2005), p. 10.
53. Šewc-Schuster (1984), p. 34.
54. Bamgboṣe (1966), p. 166.

References

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External links

• List of languages with [e̞] on PHOIBLE
• List of languages with [ɛ̝] on PHOIBLE