Middle vowel
The middle vowel refers to those vowels that are pronounced when the mouth is half-open (or half-closed). The angle of the two jaws has a medium size, the tongue occupies a medium-high position.
The "e" - "ö" - and "o" sounds are referred to as "middle", while the "a" sounds add to the open vowels and the "i" - "ü" and "u" sounds close count the closed vowels . You have to distinguish the term middle vowel from the term central vowel (= central vowel ): Middle vowels are determined according to the mouth opening or the height of the tongue, central vowels (central vowels) according to the position of the tongue in relation to its position in the front or back of the mouth.
German examples of medium vowels
Middle vowels are:
- [ɛ] (short) in "beds"
- [eː] (long) in "pray"
- [ə] ( Schwa / reduction vowel ) in "trap" (['falə])
- [œ] (short) in "Hell"
- [ø:] (long) in "cave"
- [ɔ] (short) in "Molle"
- [oː] (long) in "Mole".
literature
- Hadumod Bußmann (Ed.): Lexicon of Linguistics. 3rd updated and expanded edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-520-45203-0 , see scheme p. 739.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Heikki J. Hakkarainen: Phonetik des Deutschen. Fink, Munich 1995, p. 55. ISBN 3-8252-1835-X