Vokaltriangel

Vokaltriangel, or vowel triangle, is a simplified visual representation of a language’s vowel quality. It maps vowels in a two-dimensional space defined by tongue height (high–low) and tongue backness (front–back). The diagram is typically triangular, emphasizing three poles of articulation: high-front, high-back, and low vowels, with other vowels positioned inside or along the edges.

In practice, the vertices are commonly associated with i-like (high front), u-like (high back), and a-like (low) vowels. Vowels with intermediate height or backness are placed within the triangle; roundedness can be indicated by markers or shading. The exact placement depends on the vowel system of the language and the conventions used by the author. The triangle is often used as a compact, intuitive aid in describing and comparing vowel inventories.

The vokaltriangel is widely used in language teaching, phonology and phonetics as an introductory diagram. In Swedish linguistics and education, the term vokaltriangel refers to this schematic representation, which helps learners grasp the basic relationships among vowels without requiring a full rectangular vowel chart.

Limitations: real vowel spaces are better represented on a rectangular chart that encodes additional dimensions such as rounding and central vowels. A triangle simplifies the space and may obscure important distinctions in languages with many mid or central vowels or with complex rounding contrasts. Therefore the vokaltriangel should be viewed as a pedagogical starting point rather than a precise phonetic map.

See also: vowel space, vowel chart, phonetics. References: standard introductory phonetics texts that discuss vowel space representations, such as A Course in Phonetics.