Open-mid back unrounded vowel

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IPA – number	314
IPA – text	ʌ
IPA – image	Image:Xsampa-V.png
Entity	ʌ
X-SAMPA	V
Kirshenbaum	V
Sound sample (help·info)

The open-mid back unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ʌ, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is V. The IPA symbol is an inverted letter v and both the symbol and the sound are commonly referred to as either a wedge, a caret, or a hat. In transcriptions for some languages (including several dialects of English), this symbol is also used for the Near-open central vowel

[edit] Features

• Its vowel height is open-mid, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between an open vowel and a mid vowel.
• Its vowel backness is back, which means the tongue is positioned as far back as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
• Its vowel roundedness is unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded.

[edit] Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
English	eastern American	plus	[plʌ̟s]	'plus'	Less fronted than other dialects. See English phonology
	GA
	Scottish
Irish		ola	[ʌlˠə]	'oil'	See Irish phonology
Korean		벌	[pʌl]	'punishment'	See Korean phonology
Vietnamese		tây	[tʌ̄j]	'west'	Also analyzed as central [ɜ]. See Vietnamese phonology

Before World War II, Received Pronunciation had /ʌ/ as a phoneme; this sound has since shifted forward to [ɐ]. Despite this change, the symbol <ʌ> is still used^[1]. This may be due to both tradition as well as the fact that some other dialects retain the older pronunciation.

[edit] References

1. ^ Roca, Iggy & Johnson, Wyn (1999). Course in Phonology. Blackwell Publishing. 

de:Ungerundeter halboffener Hinterzungenvokal

br:Vogalenn digor-etre a-dreñv plaen fr:Voyelle moyenne inférieure postérieure non arrondie ja:非円唇後舌半広母音 ko:후설 비원순 중저모음 pl:Samogłoska półotwarta tylna niezaokrąglona