Backvokálos

Backvokálos is a term used in linguistics to describe a vowel sound produced with the tongue positioned towards the back of the mouth. These sounds are characterized by a raised back of the tongue and a rounded or unrounded lip position. The specific articulation of a back vowel depends on the degree of tongue raising and the degree of lip rounding.

The most common back vowels in many languages include the high back unrounded vowel, often transcribed as [ɯ] (as in some pronunciations of "wood" in English), and the high back rounded vowel, transcribed as [u] (as in "boot" in English). Mid back unrounded vowels, such as [ɤ] (as in some dialects of Mandarin Chinese), and mid back rounded vowels, like [o] (as in "boat" in English), are also prominent. The low back unrounded vowel is transcribed as [ɑ] (as in "father" in English), and the low back rounded vowel is transcribed as [ɒ] (as in "lot" in British English).

Back vowels are contrasted with front vowels, which are produced with the tongue positioned towards the front of the mouth, and central vowels, which are produced with the tongue in a neutral or central position. The distinction between these vowel categories is a fundamental aspect of phonetics and phonology, playing a crucial role in differentiating meaning between words in many languages. The study of back vowels contributes to understanding the phonetic space of vowels and the sound systems of human languages.