Zentrumvokalen

Zentrumsvokalen, also known as central vowels, are vowel sounds produced with the tongue positioned in a neutral, central position in the mouth. This means the highest point of the tongue is neither forward nor backward, and neither high nor low. In terms of vowel diagrams, they are located in the central region of the quadrilateral.

The most common centrumsvokal in many languages is the schwa, represented by the symbol /ə/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Schwa is often found in unstressed syllables, such as the 'a' in "about" or the 'e' in "taken". Another important centrumsvokal is the open-mid central unrounded vowel, /ɜ/, as heard in the British English pronunciation of "bird". The near-open central unrounded vowel, /ɐ/, is also a centrumsvokal, appearing in words like "sofa" in some dialects.

The precise number and phonetic qualities of centrumsvokalen can vary significantly between languages and even dialects. However, their defining characteristic is the relatively relaxed and neutral tongue posture during their articulation. This neutral placement makes them distinct from front vowels (tongue forward) and back vowels (tongue backward), as well as high vowels (tongue high) and low vowels (tongue low). Centrumsvokalen play a crucial role in the phonology of many languages, often serving as unstressed or reduced vowel sounds.