Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Close-mid | e | (ə) | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Open | a | ||
Phonetic notes:
- The vowel /a/ is further back and open than the Castilian counterpart in North-Western and Central Catalan, slightly fronted and closed in Valencian and Ribagorçan, and further fronted and closed in Majorcan.
- The mid-open vowels /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ are lower in Majorcan, Minorcan and Valencian, that is, in these dialects the phonetic realization of /ɛ/ approaches, while /ɔ/ is as low as .
- In Alguerese, Northern Catalan and some places bordering the Spanish-speaking areas, mid-open and close-mid vowels may merge into mid vowels; and .
- Northern Catalan may add two loan rounded vowels, and, from French and Occitan (e.g. but 'aim', fulles 'leaves').
- In the Barcelona metropolitan area unstressed schwa is lowered to a near-open central vowel, sounding closer to but in RP or Californian English.
- Phonetic nasalization occurs for vowels occurring between nasal consonants or when preceding a syllable-final nasal; e.g. diumenge ('Sunday').
Read more about this topic: Catalan Phonology
Famous quotes containing the word vowels:
“As no one can tell what was the Roman pronunciation, each nation makes the Latin conform, for the most part, to the rules of its own language; so that with us of the vowels only A has a peculiar sound.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Playing “bop” is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.”
—Duke Ellington (1899–1974)
“These equal syllables alone require,
Though oft the ear the open vowels tire;”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)