Frontvokalien

Frontvokalen is a term used in phonetics and linguistics to describe vowel sounds produced with the tongue positioned in the front of the mouth. These vowels are characterized by a relatively high position of the tongue body, close to the alveolar ridge or even the hard palate. The airflow from the lungs is unobstructed as it passes through the mouth, but the narrowing of the oral cavity at the front creates the distinct sound quality of front vowels.

The primary front vowels in many languages include the high front unrounded vowel, often transcribed as /i/ (as in the "ee" sound in "see"), and the mid front unrounded vowel, transcribed as /e/ (as in the "ay" sound in "say"). Some languages also feature a low front unrounded vowel, transcribed as /æ/ (as in the "a" sound in "cat"). The degree of lip rounding also plays a role in distinguishing front vowels, though in many common front vowels, the lips are unrounded. The production of these sounds involves precise control of tongue height, tongue advancement, and jaw opening. The classification of vowels into front, central, and back categories is a fundamental aspect of vowel quadrilateral, a diagram used to represent the articulatory space of vowel sounds.