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The 'e' Vowel Unveiled

An exploration of the close-mid front unrounded vowel, its characteristics, and global presence.

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Introducing the Close-Mid Front Unrounded Vowel

Defining the Sound

The close-mid front unrounded vowel, also referred to as the high-mid front unrounded vowel, is a specific type of vowel sound utilized in various spoken languages. Its representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is the symbol e.

It is important to distinguish this sound from the near-close front unrounded vowel, which is often transcribed with i or ɪ. This guide focuses specifically on the vowel represented by the IPA symbol e.

Key Phonetic Features

Vowel Height: Close-Mid

This classification indicates that the tongue is positioned halfway between that of a close vowel (high tongue position) and a mid vowel. It represents a relatively high, but not the highest, position in the mouth.

Vowel Backness: Front

The tongue is positioned forward in the mouth. Crucially, this positioning does not create a constriction significant enough to be classified as a consonant sound.

Roundedness: Unrounded

The lips are held in a neutral, relaxed position. They are not protruded or rounded, which is a key differentiator from other front vowels like [y] or [ø].

Global Occurrence

Languages Featuring [e]

The close-mid front unrounded vowel [e] is a common sound found across numerous languages worldwide. Its precise phonetic realization can vary slightly depending on the surrounding sounds and the specific dialect.

Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Afrikaans bed [bet] 'bed' Height varies; often transcribed as [ɛ].
Arabic مجريها (majreha) [mad͡ʒreha] Part of the 'imalah' phenomenon.
Azerbaijani gecə [get͡ʃ\u0259] 'night'
Breton eget [e\u02c8\u0261et] 'than'
Catalan sec [s\u0259k] 'dry'
Chinese (Shanghainese) 该 (k\u00e8) [ke\u0320\u0294\u0259] 'should' Near-front; contrasts with [i] in closed syllables.
Danish hæl [h\u025b\u02d0\u02c0l] 'heel' Often transcribed as [ɛ:].
Dutch (Belgian) vreemd [vre\u02d0mt] 'strange' Often diphthongized to [eɪ] in Netherlands Dutch.
English (General American) may [me\u02d0] 'may' Typically a diphthong [eɪ].
English (Australian) bed [bed] 'bed' Height varies.
German (Standard) Seele [z\u02c8ze\u02d0l\u0259] 'soul'
Hindi के (ke) [ke\u02d0] 'of'
Hungarian hét [he\u02d0t\u032a] 'seven' Also described as mid [e\u031e].
Italian stelle [s\u032at\u032aelle] 'stars'
Polish dzień [d͡ʒe\u0272\u031f] 'day' Allophone of /ɛ/ between palatalized consonants.
Portuguese mesa [mez\u0250] 'table'
Russian шея [ʃ\u02c8ej\u0259] 'neck' Close-mid [e] before soft consonants.
Swedish se [s\u032ae\u02d0] 'see' Often diphthongized to [e\u0259].
Ukrainian ефірний [e\u02c8firn\u026aj] 'ethereal'
Welsh chwech [χwe\u02d0χ] 'six'

Standardized Representations

IPA and Beyond

The close-mid front unrounded vowel has several standardized representations for linguistic and computational purposes:

  • IPA Number: 302
  • IPA Symbol: e
  • Unicode: U+0065
  • X-SAMPA: e

Braille Representation

In the context of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Braille system, the close-mid front unrounded vowel is represented by a specific braille pattern:

2811 (braille pattern dots-15)

The pattern corresponds to dots 1 and 5. This ensures accessibility for visually impaired individuals familiar with Braille.

IPA Vowel Chart Context

Locating [e]

The IPA vowel chart visually organizes vowel sounds based on tongue position. The close-mid front unrounded vowel [e] is situated in the upper-left quadrant, signifying its close-mid height and front tongue position, with unrounded lips.

IPA Vowels
Front Central Back
Close
i
•
y
ɨ
•
ʉ
ɯ
•
u
Near-close
ɪ
•
ʏ
•
ʊ
Close-mid
•
ø
ɘ
•
ɵ
ɤ
•
o
Mid
•
ø̞
ə
ɤ̞
•
Open-mid
ɛ
•
œ
ɜ
•
ɞ
ʌ
•
ɔ
Near-open
æ
•
ɐ
Open
a
•
ɶ
ä
•
ɑ
•
ɒ

  • IPA help
  • 🔊 audio
  • full chart
  • template
Legend: unrounded • rounded

Related Phonetic Concepts

Further Exploration

Understanding the close-mid front unrounded vowel often involves exploring related phonetic concepts:

  • Index of phonetics articles
  • General Vowel Classification
  • International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
  • Close-mid Vowel Characteristics
  • Front Vowel Articulation

Important Notes

Clarifications

  • While the International Phonetic Association uses "close" and "open" for vowel height, "high" and "low" are also common linguistic terms.
  • The precise phonetic realization of [e] can vary, sometimes bordering on near-close or mid height depending on the language and context.
  • IPA symbols and their pronunciations can differ slightly across various transcription conventions and regional dialects.

References

Source Materials

The information presented here is derived from established phonetic and linguistic research.

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References

References

  1.  Wissing (2016), section "The unrounded mid-front vowel /ɛ/".
  2.  Traunmüller (1982), cited in Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:290)
  3.  Mikael Madeg, Traité de prononciation du breton du Nord-Ouest à l’usage des bretonnants, Emgleo Breiz, Brest, 2010
  4.  Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 34.
  5.  Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), pp. 64–65.
  6.  Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 64.
  7.  Å uÅ¡tarÅ¡ič, Komar & Petek (1999), p. 137.
A full list of references for this article are available at the Close-mid front unrounded vowel Wikipedia page

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Disclaimer

Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not linguistic or phonetic advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional linguistic analysis or consultation. Always refer to authoritative linguistic resources and consult with qualified phoneticians or linguists for specific applications or detailed analysis.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.