LING 220 Tongue height/Backness, Lip roundness, Tongue root

How high is the tongue?

We raise and lower the tongue during speech (and, along with it, the jaw)

Tongue height: High

• Vowel height (articulatory term): High

• Tongue is raised close to the roof of the mouth

Example: “beast, I” [i], “food, u” [u]

Tongue height: Interediate

• Vowel height (articulatory term): Mid

• Tongue is slightly lower than high, mid-mouth

Example: “bait, boat” [e, o]

Tongue height: Low

• Vowel height (articulatory term): low

• Tongue is lowered, far from the roof of the mouth

Example: “bat, father” [æ, ɑ]

Which way can the tongue also move?

Horizontally

Vowel backness: Front

• Tongue backness: Front

• Tongue is toward the front of the mouth

Example: “bet” [ɛ], “beast” [i]

Vowel backness: Central

• Tongue backness: Intermediate

• Tongue is in the middle of the mouth

Example “a” [ə] (schwa), “cup” [ʌ], unhappy, roses

Vowel backness: Back

• Tongue backness: Back

• Tongue is toward the back of the mouth

Example: boot, boat, book, bought, bot

During vowel production…

Lips can be rounded or unrounded

Lip shape: Rounded

• Vowel roundness: Round

• Lips are rounded and protruded

• Example: boot, book, boat, bought

• Streched: beet, bait, bit, bet, bat

Lip shape: Spread or neutral

• Vowel roundness: Unround

• Lips are relaxed, spread, or neutral

• Example: “beet” [i], “bat” [æ], “bet” [ɛ]

What is the tongue root doing?

We can push the root of the tongue away from and toward the pharynx (hard to feel without training)

Vowel tenseness: Tense

Tongue root: Forward, advanced

Example: beat, boat, bait, boot

Vowel tenseness: lax

Tongue root: Backward, relaxed

Example: bet, bought, book

(low vowels are always lax)

Other characteristics of vowels

Nasality, Length, and Diphthongs

Nasality

Is the air flowing out the mouth or nose?

Length

Is the vowel longer or shorter in duration?

Diphthongs

Are there multiple vowels in sequence, making up a single sound?

Example: bait/boat, boy/bow/how, bite