Central vowel

A central vowel, also known before as a mixed vowel, is any in a class of vowel sounds used in some spoken languages. The biggest thing of a central vowel is that the tongue is put halfway between a front vowel and a back vowel. (Using this, unrounded central vowels are usually further forward and rounded central vowels are further back.)

List
The central vowels that have their own symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet are:

 close central unrounded vowel 
 close central protruded vowel 
 close-mid central unrounded vowel  (older releases may use )
 close-mid central rounded vowel  (older releases may use )
 mid central vowel with double-meaning rounding 
 open-mid central unrounded vowel  (older releases may use )
 open-mid central rounded vowel  (older releases may use )
 near-open central vowel with double-meaning rounding  (typically used for an unrounded vowel; if precision is wanted,  may be used for an unrounded vowel and  for a rounded vowel)

There also are central vowels that do not have their own symbols in the IPA:
 close central compressed vowel 
 near-close central unrounded vowel , ,  or  (unofficial symbol: )
 near-close central protruded vowel , ,  or  (unofficial symbol: )
 near-close central compressed vowel 
 mid central unrounded vowel  or  (usually written )
 mid central protruded vowel  or  (usually written  as if it were close-mid)
 mid central compressed vowel 
 open central unrounded vowel  (usually written  as if it were front)
 open central rounded vowel 

Related pages
Front vowel
Back vowel
List of phonetics topics
Relative articulation

Books

Category:Vowels