CENTRAL VOWELS

QUANTITY: IT IS THE PERIOD OF TIME DURING WHICH THE SOUND IS HELD ON CONTINOUSLY IN A GIVEN WORD OR PHRASE.
VOWELS CAN BE LONG OR SHORT. THE MARK OF LENGTH (:) IS PLACED AFTER THE SYMBOL FOR THE SOUND WHICH IS LONG.
SHORT SOUNDS ARE LEFT UNMARKED.

/^/: RELAXED AND SHORT

SCHWA: FULLY RELAXED AND VERY SHORT

/3:/ LONG AND TENSE

QUALITY:

SCHWA: CENTRAL VOWEL WITH NEUTRAL LIP POSITION, IN NON FINAL POSITIONS THERE'S A TONGUE RAISING BETWEEN HALF
OPEN AND HALF CLOSE, CLOSE TO VELAR CONSONANTS /k/ /g/ /n,/, THE TONGUE MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY MORE RAISED AND
RETRACTED. IN FINAL POSITIONS, IT'S PRONOUNCED EITHER IN HALF OPEN CENTRAL POSITION OR IN THE MOST OPEN REGION
OF THE CENTRAL AREA. THERE'S NO LIP ROUNDING AND IT'S THE WEAKEST SOUND IN ENGLISH.

/3:/ (OPEN MID CENTRAL UNROUNDED VOWEL): IT IS PRONOUNCED WITH THE CENTER OF THE TONGUE RAISED BETWEEN
HALF CLOSE AND HALF OPEN, NO FIRM CONTACT IS MADE BETWEEN THE TONGUE AND THE UPPER MOLARS. LIPS ARE
NEUTRALLY SPREAD. THIS VOWEL DOES NOT NORMALLY OCCUR BEFORE /n,/

/^/ (OPEN MID BACK UNROUNDED VOWEL): IT'S PRONOUNCED WITH A CONSIDERABLE SEPARATION OF THE JAWS AND THE
LIPS NEUTRALLY OPEN. CENTER OF THE TONGUE (OR A PART SLIGHTLY IN ADVANCE OF CENTRE) IS RAISED ABOVE THE FULLY
OPEN POSITION, NO CONTACT IS MADE BETWEEN THE TONGUE AND THE UPPER MOLARS. IT DOES NOT OCCUR IN FINAL, OPEN
SYLLABLES.