IPA – number 309
IPA – text y
Entity y
X-SAMPA y
Kirshenbaum y
Sound sample (help·info)

The close front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is y, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is y.

In most languages this vowel is endolabial (compressed). However, in a few cases it is exolabial (with pursed lips).

Endolabial (compressed)

Features

• Its vowel height is close, which means the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
• Its vowel backness is front, which means the tongue is positioned as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
• Its roundedness is endolabial, which means that the lips are rounded but compressed, so that the inner surfaces are not exposed.

Occurrence

Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Albanian dy [dy] 'two'
Azeri güllə [ɟylˈlæ] 'bullet'
Chinese Cantonese 書/syu1 [syː˥] 'book' See Standard Cantonese
Mandarin 绿/lǜ [ly˥˩] 'green' See Standard Mandarin
Chechen уьш/üş [yʃ] 'they'
Danish yde [ˈyːðə] 'to supply' See Danish phonology
Dutch[1] fuut [fyːt] 'grebe' See Dutch phonology
English Scottish food [fyd] 'food' Some dialects. Corresponds to /u/ or /ʉ/ in other dialects. See English phonology
Estonian üks [yks] 'one'
Finnish yksi [ˈyksi] 'one' See Finnish phonology
French[2] chute [ʃyt] 'fall' See French phonology
German Blüte [ˈblyːtə] 'blossom' See German phonology
Hungarian[3] tű [tyː] 'pin' See Hungarian phonology
Korean 위 wi [y] 'top' May be diphthongized to [wi] by younger speakers
Lombard dü [dy] 'two'
Occitan Gascon lua [ˈlyo] 'moon'
Languedocien luna [ˈlyno]
Provençal
Turkish güneş [ɟyˈneʃ] 'sun' See Turkish phonology

Exolabial (pursed)

Most languages with rounded front and back vowels use distinct types of labialization, exolabial or pursed back vowels, and endolabial or compressed front vowels. However, a few languages, such as Scandinavian, have front vowels with the typically back-vowel form of exolabial rounding. One of these, Swedish, even contrasts the two types of rounding in front vowels. (See Near-close near-front rounded vowel, with Swedish examples of both types of rounding.)

As there are no diacritics in the IPA to distinguish endo- and exo-labial rounding, old diacritic for labialization, [  ̫], will be used here as an ad hoc symbol for exolabial.

Features

• Its vowel height is near-close, which means the tongue is not quite so constricted as a close vowel.
• Its vowel backness is near-front, which means the tongue is positioned almost as far forward as a front vowel.
• Its roundedness is exolabial, which means that the lips are pursed and protrude, with the inner surfaces exposed.

Occurrence

Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Norwegian syd [sy̫ːd] 'south' See Norwegian phonology
Swedish yla [y̫ː(ɥ)la] (help·info) 'howl' See Swedish phonology

See also

• List of phonetics topics

References

Bibliography