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Near-close near-front unrounded vowel

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Near-close near-front unrounded vowel
ɪ
IPA number319
Audio sample
Encoding
Entity (decimal)ɪ
Unicode (hex)U+026A
X-SAMPAI
Braille⠌ (braille pattern dots-34)
Spectrogram of [ɪ]
Sagittal section of a vocal tract pronouncing the IPA sound ⟨Ɪ⟩. Note that a wavy glottis in this diagram indicates a voiced sound.

The near-close near-front unrounded vowel, or near-high near-front unrounded vowel,[1] is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɪ⟩, the small capital I. The International Phonetic Association advises serifs on the symbol's ends.[2] Some sans-serif fonts do meet this typographic specification.[3] Prior to 1989, there was an alternate symbol for this sound: ⟨ɩ⟩ (the Latin iota), the use of which is no longer sanctioned by the IPA.[4] Despite that, some modern writings[5] still use it.

Handbook of the International Phonetic Association defines [ɪ] as a mid-centralized (lowered and centralized) close front unrounded vowel (transcribed [i̽] or [ï̞]), and the current official IPA name of the vowel transcribed with the symbol ⟨ɪ⟩ is a near-close near-front unrounded vowel.[6] However, some languages have the close-mid near-front unrounded vowel, a vowel that is somewhat lower than the canonical value of [ɪ], though it still fits the definition of a mid-centralized [i]. It occurs in some dialects of English (such as Californian, General American and modern Received Pronunciation)[7][8][9] as well as some other languages (such as Icelandic),[10][11] and it can be transcribed with the symbol ⟨ɪ̞⟩ (a lowered ⟨ɪ⟩) in narrow transcription. For the close-mid (near-)front unrounded vowel that is not usually transcribed with the symbol ⟨ɪ⟩ (or ⟨i⟩), see close-mid front unrounded vowel.

In some other languages (such as Danish, Luxembourgish and Sotho)[12][13][14][15] there is a fully front near-close unrounded vowel (a sound between cardinal [i] and [e]), which can be transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɪ̟⟩, ⟨i̞⟩ or ⟨e̝⟩. There may be phonological reasons not to transcribe the fully front variant with the symbol ⟨ɪ⟩, which may incorrectly imply a relation to the close [i].

Sometimes, especially in broad transcription, this vowel is transcribed with a simpler symbol ⟨i⟩, which technically represents the close front unrounded vowel.

Features

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  • Its vowel height is near-close, also known as near-high, which means the tongue is not quite so constricted as a close vowel (high vowel).
  • Its vowel backness is front, which means the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. The prototypical [ɪ] is somewhat further back (near-front) than the neighboring cardinal vowels.
  • It is unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded.

Occurrence

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Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Abenaki nis [nɪs] 'two' The quality varies between near-close [ɪ] and close [i].[16][17][18] See Abenaki phonology
Afrikaans Standard[19] meter [ˈmɪ̞ˑtɐr] 'meter' Close-mid. Allophone of /ɪə/ in less stressed words and in stressed syllables of polysyllabic words. In the latter case, it is in free variation with the diphthongal realization [ɪə̯ ~ ɪ̯ə ~ ɪə].[19] See Afrikaans phonology
Arabic Kuwaiti[20] بِنْت/bint [bɪnt] 'girl' Corresponds to /i/ in Classical Arabic. Contrasts with /i/ or [iː][20][21] See Arabic phonology
Lebanese[21] بِرْكِة/birké [bɪrke] 'pool'
Burmese[22] မြစ်/mracʻ [mjɪʔ] 'root' Allophone of /i/ in syllables closed by a glottal stop and when nasalized.[22]
Chinese Shanghainese[23] 一 / ih [ɪ̞ʔ˥] 'one' Close-mid; appears only in closed syllables. Phonetically, it is nearly identical to /ɛ/ ([e̠]), which appears only in open syllables.[23]
Czech Bohemian[24] byli [ˈbɪlɪ] 'they were' The quality has been variously described as near-close near-front [ɪ][24] and close-mid front [ɪ̟˕].[25] It corresponds to close front [i] in Moravian Czech.[25] See Czech phonology
Danish Standard[12][14] hel [ˈhe̝ːˀl] 'whole' Fully front; contrasts close, near-close and close-mid front unrounded vowels.[12][14] It is typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨eː⟩ - the way it is pronounced in the conservative variety.[26] The Danish vowel transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɪ⟩ is pronounced similarly to the short /e/.[27] See Danish phonology
Dutch Standard[28][29][30] blik [blɪk]ⓘ 'glance' The Standard Northern realization is near-close [ɪ],[28][29] but the Standard Belgian realization has also been described as close-mid [ɪ̞].[30] Some regional dialects have a vowel that is slightly closer to the cardinal [i].[31] See Dutch phonology
English Californian[7] bit [bɪ̞t]ⓘ 'bit' Close-mid.[7][8] See English phonology
General American[8]
Estuary[32] [bɪʔt] Can be fully front [ɪ̟], near-front [ɪ] or close-mid [ɪ̞], with other realizations also being possible.[32]
Received Pronunciation[9][33] Close-mid [ɪ̞] for younger speakers, near-close [ɪ] for older speakers.[9][33]
General Australian[34] [bɪ̟t] Fully front;[34] also described as close [i].[35] See Australian English phonology
Inland Northern American[36] [bɪt] The quality varies between near-close near-front [ɪ], near-close central [ɪ̈], close-mid near-front [ɪ̞] and close-mid central [ɘ].[36]
Philadelphian[37] The height varies between near-close [ɪ] and close-mid [ɪ̞].[37]
Welsh[38][39][40] Near-close [ɪ] in Abercrave and Port Talbot, close-mid [ɪ̞] in Cardiff.[38][39][40]
New Zealand[41][42] bed [be̝d] 'bed' The quality varies between near-close front [e̝], near-close near-front [ɪ], close-mid front [e] and close-mid near-front [e̠].[41] It is typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨e⟩. In the cultivated variety, it is mid [e̞].[42] See New Zealand English phonology
Some Australian speakers[43] Close-mid [e] in General Australian, may be even lower for some other speakers.[43] See Australian English phonology
Some South African speakers[44] Used by some General and Broad speakers. In the Broad variety, it is usually lower [ɛ], whereas in the General variety, it can be close-mid [e] instead.[44] Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨e⟩. See South African English phonology
French Quebec[45] petite [pət͡sɪt] 'small' Allophone of /i/ in closed syllables.[45] See Quebec French phonology
German Standard[46] bitte [ˈb̥ɪ̞tə]ⓘ 'please' Close-mid; for some speakers, it may be as high as [i].[46] See Standard German phonology
Hindustani[47] इरादा/ارادہ/iraadaa [ɪˈɾäːd̪ä] 'intention' See Hindustani phonology
Hungarian[48] visz [vɪs] 'to carry' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨i⟩. See Hungarian phonology
Icelandic[10][11] vinur [ˈʋɪ̞ːnʏ̞ɾ] 'friend' Close-mid.[10][11] See Icelandic phonology
Kabiye kabɩyɛ [kàbɪ̀jɛ̀] 'Kabiye' -ATR front vowel. See Kabiye language
Kazakh бір/bır [bɪ̞ɾ] 'one' Close-mid. See Kazakh phonology
Limburgish[49][50] hin [ɦɪ̞n] 'chicken' Near-close [ɪ][50] or close-mid [ɪ̞],[49] depending on the dialect. The example word is from the Maastrichtian dialect.
Luxembourgish[13] Been [be̝ːn] 'leg' Fully front.[13] Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨eː⟩. See Luxembourgish phonology
Malay kecil [kət͡ʃɪl] 'small' Allophone of /i/ in closed-final syllables. May be [e] or [e̞] depending on the speaker. See Malay phonology
Norwegian[51] litt [lɪ̟tː] 'a little' The example word is from Urban East Norwegian, in which the vowel has been variously described as near-close front [ɪ̟][51] and close front [i].[52] See Norwegian phonology
Portuguese Brazilian[53] cine [ˈsinɪ] 'cine' Reduction and neutralization of unstressed /e/ (can be epenthetic), /ɛ/ and /i/. Can be voiceless. See Portuguese phonology
Russian[54][55] дерево/derevo [ˈdʲerʲɪvə]ⓘ 'tree' Backness varies between fully front and near-front. It occurs only in unstressed syllables.[54][55] See Russian phonology
Saterland Frisian[56] Dee [de̝ː] 'dough' Phonetic realization of /eː/ and /ɪ/. Near-close front [e̝ː] in the former case, close-mid near-front [ɪ̞] in the latter. Phonetically, the latter is nearly identical to /ɛː/ ([e̠ː]).[56]
Scottish Gaelic[57] fios [fɪs̪] 'information' Allophone of /i/ before broad consonants and in unstressed syllables.
Sicilian[58] unni [ˈunnɪ] 'Where' Unstressed allophone of [i]. See Sicilian vowel system
Sinhala[59] පිරිමි/pirimi [ˈpi̞ɾi̞mi̞] 'male' Fully front;[59] typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨i⟩.
Slovak[60][61] rýchly [ˈri̞ːxli̞] 'fast' Typically fully front.[60] See Slovak phonology
Sotho[15] ho leka [hʊ̠lɪ̟kʼɑ̈] 'to attempt' Fully front; contrasts close, near-close and close-mid front unrounded vowels.[15] See Sotho phonology
Spanish Eastern Andalusian[62] mis [mɪ̟ː] 'my' (pl.) Fully front. It corresponds to [i] in other dialects, but in these dialects they are distinct. See Spanish phonology
Murcian[63]
Rioplatense[citation needed] si
Swedish Central Standard[64][65] sill [s̪ɪ̟l̪ː]ⓘ 'herring' The quality has been variously described as close-mid front [ɪ̟˕],[64] near-close front [ɪ̟][65] and close front [i].[66] See Swedish phonology
Temne[67] pim [pí̞m] 'pick' Fully front;[67] typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨i⟩.
Turkish[68] müşteri [my̠ʃt̪ɛ̞ˈɾɪ] 'customer' Allophone of /i/ described variously as "word-final"[68] and "occurring in final open syllable of a phrase".[69] See Turkish phonology
Ukrainian[70][71] ирій/yrij [ɪrij] 'Iriy' See Ukrainian phonology
Welsh mynydd [mənɪð] 'mountain' See Welsh phonology
Yoruba[72] kini [kĩi] 'what' Fully front; typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ĩ⟩. It is nasalized, and may be close [ĩ] instead.[72]

T-diaeresis may be in other alphabets.

Notes

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  1. ^ While the International Phonetic Association prefers the terms "close" and "open" for vowel height, many linguists use "high" and "low".
  2. ^ "IPA Fonts: General Advice". International Phonetic Association. 2015. With any font you consider using, it is worth checking that the symbol for the centralized close front vowel (ɪ, U+026A) appears correctly with serifs top and bottom; that the symbol for the dental click (ǀ, U+01C0) is distinct from the lower-case L (l)
  3. ^ Sans-serif fonts with serifed ɪ (despite having serifless capital I) include Arial, FreeSans and Lucida Sans.
    On the other hand, Segoe and Tahoma place serifs on ɪ as well as capital I.
    Finally, both are serifless in Calibri.
  4. ^ International Phonetic Association (1999), p. 167.
  5. ^ Such as Árnason (2011)
  6. ^ International Phonetic Association (1999), pp. 13, 168, 180.
  7. ^ a b c Ladefoged (1999), p. 42.
  8. ^ a b c Wells (1982), p. 486.
  9. ^ a b c Collins & Mees (2003), p. 90.
  10. ^ a b c Árnason (2011), p. 60.
  11. ^ a b c Einarsson (1945:10), cited in Gussmann (2011:73)
  12. ^ a b c Grønnum (1998), p. 100.
  13. ^ a b c Gilles & Trouvain (2013), p. 70.
  14. ^ a b c Basbøll (2005), p. 45.
  15. ^ a b c Doke & Mofokeng (1974), p. ?.
  16. ^ "Abenaki, Western". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  17. ^ "Numbers in Abenaki". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  18. ^ Warne, Janet Leila (1975). A Historical Phonology of Abenaki. Thesis (M.A.)--McGill University.
  19. ^ a b Lass (1987), p. 119.
  20. ^ a b Ayyad (2011), p. ?.
  21. ^ a b Khattab (2007), p. ?.
  22. ^ a b Watkins (2001), p. 293.
  23. ^ a b Chen & Gussenhoven (2015), p. 328.
  24. ^ a b Dankovičová (1999), p. 72.
  25. ^ a b Šimáčková, Podlipský & Chládková (2012), pp. 228–229.
  26. ^ Ladefoged & Johnson (2010), p. 227.
  27. ^ Basbøll (2005), p. 58.
  28. ^ a b Collins & Mees (2003), p. 128.
  29. ^ a b Gussenhoven (1992), p. 47.
  30. ^ a b Verhoeven (2005), p. 245.
  31. ^ Collins & Mees (2003), p. 131.
  32. ^ a b Altendorf & Watt (2004), p. 188.
  33. ^ a b Wells (1982), p. 291.
  34. ^ a b Cox & Fletcher (2017), p. 65.
  35. ^ Cox & Palethorpe (2007), p. 344.
  36. ^ a b Gordon (2004), pp. 294, 296.
  37. ^ a b Gordon (2004), p. 290.
  38. ^ a b Tench (1990), p. 135.
  39. ^ a b Connolly (1990), p. 125.
  40. ^ a b Collins & Mees (1990), p. 93.
  41. ^ a b Bauer et al. (2007), p. 98.
  42. ^ a b Gordon & Maclagan (2004), p. 609.
  43. ^ a b Cox & Fletcher (2017), pp. 65, 67.
  44. ^ a b Bowerman (2004), pp. 936–937.
  45. ^ a b Walker (1984), pp. 51–60.
  46. ^ a b Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), pp. 34, 64.
  47. ^ Ohala (1999), p. 102.
  48. ^ Szende (1994), p. 92.
  49. ^ a b Gussenhoven & Aarts (1999), pp. 158–159.
  50. ^ a b Peters (2006), p. 119.
  51. ^ a b Vanvik (1979), pp. 13–14.
  52. ^ Kvifte & Gude-Husken (2005), p. 2.
  53. ^ Barbosa & Albano (2004), p. 229.
  54. ^ a b Jones & Ward (1969), p. 37.
  55. ^ a b Yanushevskaya & Bunčić (2015), p. 225.
  56. ^ a b Peters (2017), p. ?.
  57. ^ Oftedal (1956), p. 64.
  58. ^ Hull, Geoffrey (1989). Polyglot Italy: Languages, Dialects, Peoples. CIS Educational.
  59. ^ a b Perera & Jones (1919), pp. 5, 9.
  60. ^ a b Pavlík (2004), pp. 93, 95.
  61. ^ Hanulíková & Hamann (2010), p. 375.
  62. ^ Zamora Vicente (1967), pp. 290–295.
  63. ^ Zamora Vicente (1967), p. 341.
  64. ^ a b Engstrand (1999), p. 140.
  65. ^ a b Rosenqvist (2007), p. 9.
  66. ^ Dahlstedt (1967), p. 16.
  67. ^ a b Kanu & Tucker (2010), p. 249.
  68. ^ a b Göksel & Kerslake (2005), p. 10.
  69. ^ Zimmer & Orgun (1999), p. 155.
  70. ^ Сучасна українська мова: Підручник / О.Д. Пономарів, В.В.Різун, Л.Ю.Шевченко та ін.; За ред. О.Д.пономарева. — 2-ге вид., перероб. —К.: Либідь, 2001. — с. 14
  71. ^ Danyenko & Vakulenko (1995), p. 4.
  72. ^ a b Bamgboṣe (1966), p. 166.

References

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