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)
“These equal syllables alone require,
Though oft the ear the open vowels tire;”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
“Playing “bop” is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.”
—Duke Ellington (1899–1974)