PRAXIS Vowels

the tongue

refers to the relative position of the highest part of the tongue in relation to the roof of the mouth. High vowels, such as those in "heat" (/i/) and "who" (/u/), are produced with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth, and the lower jaw is relatively high. Low vowels, like those in "had" (/æ/) and "hot" (/a/), are produced with the tongue much lower in the mouth, and the jaw is lowered, resulting in a more open mouth. Mid vowels, such as those in "head" (/ɛ/) and "hoe" (/o/), have the tongue positioned somewhere in the middle of the mouth, and the jaw opening is between open and closed.

Tongue advancement refers to the relative position of the tongue body (front, central, or back) in the oral cavity during vowel production. Front vowels, such as those in "heat" (/i/), "hit" (/ɪ/), and "hat" (/æ/), have the tongue body positioned towards the front of the mouth. However, the tongue body is more forward for high front vowels (e.g., /i/) compared to low front vowels (e.g., /æ/). Back vowels, like those in "who" (/u/) and "boat" (/o/), have the tongue body pulled back in the oral cavity. There are few vowels in American English that are produced with the tongue body near the center of the oral cavity, such as the vowel in "but" (/ʌ/) and the second, unstressed vowel in "data" (/ə/).

tense/lax, round/nonround, and oral/nasalized are often used to describe vowel quality.

Tense/lax refers to the distinction between tense vowels and lax vowels. In American English, there are three pairs of vowels that are commonly described in terms of "tension": /i/ /ɪ/, /e/ /ɛ/, and /u/ /ʊ/. However, it is important to note that the difference between these pairs of vowels is better described by other phonetic features rather than tension.

/i/, /e/, and /u/, are typically longer in duration, higher in tongue position, and less centralized compared to their lax counterparts /ɪ/, /ɛ/, and /ʊ/. Tense vowels are often associated with greater muscular tension in the articulatory system. In American English phonology, tense vowels can appear in open syllables, which are syllables ending with a vowel sound rather than a consonant. For example, tense vowels can be found in words like "he," "hay," and "who." On the other hand, lax vowels generally do not appear in open syllables in American English.

refers to the presence or absence of lip rounding during vowel production. In American English, the back vowels /u/, /ʊ/, /o/, and /ɔ̃/ all involve some degree of lip rounding. The high vowels, however, typically have little to no lip rounding in their normal speech patterns. It's important to note that the degree of lip rounding can vary between speakers and contexts. However, the presence or absence of lip rounding in high vowels does not usually affect their intelligibility.

related to the manner in which the velopharyngeal port (the opening between the pharynx and the nasal cavity) is controlled. Normally, when a vowel is produced in an open syllable, the velopharyngeal port is closed, and the acoustic energy and air flow exclusively through the oral cavity. These vowels are referred to as "oral vowels." However, when a vowel is produced before a nasal consonant (/m/, /n/, /ŋ/), the velum is lowered, and the velopharyngeal port is opened, allowing both oral and nasal airflow. These vowels are "nasalized," as the acoustic energy and air pass through both the oral and nasal cavities. Nasalization introduces specific acoustic characteristics, such as nasal formants and nasal zeroes, into the vowel spectrum.