Cardinal Vowels

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A core set of vowels that represent fundamental sounds across Western languages. The number varies across the literature, ranging from three—the tongue is highest with no lip involvement on /i/, relaxed with no lip involvement on /a/, and relaxed with lips protruded on /u/—to eight: /i/, /e/, /ɛ/, /a/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/, /o/, and /u/. Merriam-Webster places the number of invariable sounds at sixteen. Cardinal vowels are also called “pure” and do not include mixed vowels; see mixed vowels.[1]

  1. "NATS July 2022 Pedagogy Workshop Working Group Three Science-Informed Terminology and Definitions for Voice Pedagogy" (PDF). Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy Resources. Retrieved January 20, 2025.

Authored by: Paige De La O

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