zerovowel

Zerovowel is a term used in linguistic theory to denote a vowel that is not realized as a distinct vowel sound in surface pronunciation or is not represented in writing. The concept appears in discussions of syllable structure, vowel deletion, and orthographic systems that omit vowels.

In phonology, a zerovowel can be treated as a phonological vowel that lacks a phonetic realization in certain environments. This allows analyses of syllable structure, hiatus resolution, and vowel harmony by positing a null nucleus in underlying representations. It contrasts with approaches that posit no phoneme at that position at all, and it is often discussed in relation to phenomena such as vowel reduction and elision.

In orthography, zerovowels arise in writing systems that do not mark vowels, notably abjads like Arabic and Hebrew. Readers supply the vowels from context, so the absence of written vowels effectively corresponds to a zerovowel reading in the spoken language. Diacritics or vowel letters may be added in specific contexts to indicate the intended vocalization.

Typologically, zerovowels are primarily a theoretical construct used to describe or model certain phonological or orthographic patterns rather than a fixed feature of particular languages. The idea intersects with concepts such as syllabic consonants, epenthesis, vowel deletion, and neutral vowels, offering a way to account for syllable closure, prosodic structure, and script design in a unified framework.

See also: Abjad, Syllabic consonant, Vowel deletion, Epenthesis, Zero-phoneme.