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Tenseness

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43: 420:, for example, has a three-way contrast among stops and affricates; the three series are often transcribed as - - . The contrast between the series and the series is sometimes said to be a function of tenseness: the former are lax and the latter tense. In this case the definition of "tense" would have to include greater glottal tension; see 336:
representing the corresponding tense vowels. Some languages like Spanish are often considered as having only tense vowels, but since the quality of tenseness is not a phonemic feature in this language, it cannot be applied to describe its vowels in any meaningful way. The term has also occasionally
357:
than lax vowels, but this varies, and in some languages, it is the lax vowels that are more advanced, or a single language may be inconsistent between front and back or high and mid vowels (Ladefoged and Maddieson 1996, 302–4). The traditional definition, that tense vowels are produced with more
358:"muscular tension" than lax vowels, has not been confirmed by phonetic experiments. Another hypothesis is that lax vowels are more centralized than tense vowels. There are also linguists (Lass 1976, 1-39) who believe that there is no phonetic correlation to the tense–lax opposition. 458:, there is a contrast between and . Again, the former set have sometimes been described as lax and the latter set as tense. It is not clear what phonetic characteristics other than greater duration would then be associated with tenseness. 308:, the feature can be interpreted only relatively, often with a perception of greater tension or pressure in the mouth, which, in a language like English, contrasts between two corresponding vowel types: a 481:
dialects because they have two series of them that are identically voiceless and unaspirated. However, it is debated whether the distinction is really a result of different muscular tension and not of
665: 469:( vs. ), is in fact better analyzed as tenseness since the latter set is voiceless in Southern German. German linguists call the distinction 354: 716: 694: 675: 647: 616: 597: 126: 213:: the pronunciation of a vowel with relatively more centralization, shorter duration, and more widening (perhaps even lowering). 189:
of a sound with greater muscular effort or constriction than is typical. More specifically, tenseness is the pronunciation of a
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Halle, Morris (1977). "Tenseness, Vowel Shift, and the Phonology of the Back Vowels in Modern English."
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Occasionally, tenseness has been used to distinguish pairs of contrasting consonants in languages.
317: 202: 741: 736: 509: 386: 353:) than their lax counterparts. Tense vowels are sometimes claimed to be articulated with a more 712: 690: 671: 643: 639: 612: 593: 466: 362: 217: 568: 504: 478: 470: 421: 378: 289: 271: 253: 235: 221: 657: 499: 462: 439:
are articulated with a strong articulation, and , to better distinguish them from weaker
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are contrasted by the vowel sound being tense in the first word but not the second; i.e.,
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In general, tense vowels are more close (and correspondingly have lower first
205:) compared with another vowel. The opposite quality to tenseness is known as 338: 174: 350: 153: 390: 396:
Germanic languages prefer tense vowels in open syllables (so-called
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rather than tense and lax. Tenseness is especially used to explain
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Contrasts between two vowels on the basis of tenseness, and even
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Pronunciation of a sound with greater muscular effort than normal
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This article is about a contrast in vowels. For other uses, see
201:, and narrower mouth width (with the tongue being perhaps more 238: 36: 609:
Phonetics and Phonology of Tense and Lax Obstruents in German
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tense vowels are longer in duration than lax vowels, but in
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Modern Irish: Grammatical Structure and Dialectal Variation
292: 389:, there is no such correlation. The standard variety of 256: 197:(i.e. either more fronting or more backing), longer 152:. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see 67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 631: 461:Some researchers have argued that the contrast in 561:Journal of the International Phonetic Association 402:) and lax vowels in closed syllables (so-called 166:IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters 8: 530:The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics 393:has only lax vowels, and no tense vowels. 220:, are common in many languages, including 687:English Phonology and Phonological Theory 572: 328:representing lax vowels, and the letters 224:. For example, in most English dialects, 127:Learn how and when to remove this message 521: 250:) is the tense counterpart to the lax 7: 638:. Oxford University Press. pp.  156:. For the distinction between , 65:adding citations to reliable sources 667:The Sounds of the World's Languages 337:been used to describe contrasts in 626:Kim, Nam-Kil (1987). "Korean". In 590:English Phonology: An Introduction 532:. Oxford University PRess. p. 403. 25: 288: 270: 252: 234: 41: 148:International Phonetic Alphabet 52:needs additional citations for 711:. Cambridge University Press. 689:. Cambridge University Press. 592:. Cambridge University Press. 528:Matthews, Peter Hugoe (2014). 1: 611:. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 465:, traditionally described as 588:Giegerich, Heinz J. (1992). 634:The World's Major Languages 758: 29: 574:10.1017/S0025100303001385 607:Jessen, Michael (1998). 383:General American English 32:Tension (disambiguation) 495:Checked and free vowels 268:); the same is true of 144:phonetic transcriptions 185:is, most broadly, the 141:This article contains 670:. Oxford: Blackwell. 685:Lass, Roger (1976). 555:Kleine, Ane (2003). 450:In some dialects of 355:advanced tongue root 306:distinctive features 61:improve this article 18:Tense and lax vowels 705:Ó Siadhail, Mícheál 557:"Standard Yiddish" 543:Linguistic Inquiry 510:Trisyllabic laxing 363:Germanic languages 218:phonemic contrasts 137: 136: 129: 111: 16:(Redirected from 749: 722: 700: 681: 658:Ladefoged, Peter 653: 637: 622: 603: 579: 578: 576: 552: 546: 539: 533: 526: 505:Fortis and lenis 479:Alemannic German 471:fortis and lenis 446: 442: 438: 434: 422:Korean phonology 379:Scottish English 316:. An example in 299: 298: 295: 294: 281: 280: 277: 276: 263: 262: 259: 258: 245: 244: 241: 240: 163: 159: 132: 125: 121: 118: 112: 110: 69: 45: 37: 21: 757: 756: 752: 751: 750: 748: 747: 746: 727: 726: 725: 719: 703: 697: 684: 678: 656: 650: 625: 619: 606: 600: 587: 583: 582: 554: 553: 549: 540: 536: 527: 523: 518: 500:Vowel reduction 491: 475:stop consonants 456:Scottish Gaelic 414: 371:Standard German 347: 320:is the letters 304:). Unlike most 291: 287: 273: 269: 255: 251: 237: 233: 171: 170: 169: 133: 122: 116: 113: 70: 68: 58: 46: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 755: 753: 745: 744: 739: 729: 728: 724: 723: 717: 701: 695: 682: 676: 662:Maddieson, Ian 654: 648: 628:Bernard Comrie 623: 617: 604: 598: 584: 581: 580: 547: 534: 520: 519: 517: 514: 513: 512: 507: 502: 497: 490: 487: 413: 410: 405:checked vowels 346: 343: 195:centralization 164:⟩, see 140: 139: 138: 135: 134: 49: 47: 40: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 754: 743: 740: 738: 735: 734: 732: 720: 718:0-521-42519-0 714: 710: 706: 702: 698: 696:0-521-21039-9 692: 688: 683: 679: 677:0-631-19815-6 673: 669: 668: 663: 659: 655: 651: 649:0-415-60902-X 645: 641: 636: 635: 629: 624: 620: 618:90-272-1553-7 614: 610: 605: 601: 599:0-521-33603-1 595: 591: 586: 585: 575: 570: 566: 562: 558: 551: 548: 544: 538: 535: 531: 525: 522: 515: 511: 508: 506: 503: 501: 498: 496: 493: 492: 488: 486: 484: 480: 476: 472: 468: 464: 459: 457: 453: 448: 430: 425: 423: 419: 411: 409: 407: 406: 401: 400: 394: 392: 388: 384: 380: 376: 372: 368: 364: 359: 356: 352: 344: 342: 340: 335: 331: 327: 323: 319: 315: 311: 307: 303: 297: 285: 279: 267: 261: 249: 243: 231: 227: 223: 219: 214: 212: 208: 204: 200: 196: 192: 188: 187:pronunciation 184: 180: 176: 167: 155: 151: 149: 145: 131: 128: 120: 109: 106: 102: 99: 95: 92: 88: 85: 81: 78: –  77: 73: 72:Find sources: 66: 62: 56: 55: 50:This article 48: 44: 39: 38: 33: 19: 708: 686: 666: 633: 608: 589: 564: 560: 550: 545:8.4. p. 611. 542: 537: 529: 524: 460: 449: 426: 415: 403: 397: 395: 360: 348: 333: 329: 325: 321: 313: 309: 301: 283: 265: 247: 229: 225: 215: 210: 206: 182: 178: 172: 160:and ⟨ 142: 123: 114: 104: 97: 90: 83: 71: 59:Please help 54:verification 51: 399:free vowels 310:tense vowel 117:August 2018 76:"Tenseness" 731:Categories 567:(2): 263. 516:References 483:gemination 412:Consonants 367:RP English 365:, such as 339:consonants 318:Vietnamese 193:with less 87:newspapers 742:Phonology 737:Phonetics 387:Icelandic 314:lax vowel 286:) versus 179:tenseness 175:phonology 707:(1989). 664:(1996). 489:See also 361:In many 351:formants 199:duration 158:/ / 154:Help:IPA 630:(ed.). 477:of the 391:Yiddish 300:(as in 282:(as in 264:(as in 246:(as in 222:English 207:laxness 183:tensing 146:in the 101:scholar 715:  693:  674:  646:  640:881–98 615:  596:  463:German 418:Korean 385:, and 369:, and 345:Vowels 312:and a 211:laxing 203:raised 162:  103:  96:  89:  82:  74:  467:voice 452:Irish 375:Scots 191:vowel 150:(IPA) 108:JSTOR 94:books 713:ISBN 691:ISBN 672:ISBN 644:ISBN 613:ISBN 594:ISBN 454:and 443:and 435:and 332:and 324:and 302:cook 284:kook 248:beet 228:and 226:beet 80:news 569:doi 445:/β/ 441:/ɸ/ 437:/v/ 433:/f/ 429:Ewe 427:In 408:). 266:bit 230:bit 209:or 181:or 173:In 63:by 733:: 660:; 642:. 565:33 563:. 559:. 485:. 447:. 431:, 424:. 381:, 377:, 341:. 275:uː 239:iː 177:, 721:. 699:. 680:. 652:. 621:. 602:. 577:. 571:: 334:ơ 330:a 326:â 322:ă 296:/ 293:ʊ 290:/ 278:/ 272:/ 260:/ 257:ɪ 254:/ 242:/ 236:/ 168:. 130:) 124:( 119:) 115:( 105:· 98:· 91:· 84:· 57:. 34:. 20:)

Index

Tense and lax vowels
Tension (disambiguation)

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"Tenseness"
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
phonetic transcriptions
International Phonetic Alphabet
Help:IPA
IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters
phonology
pronunciation
vowel
centralization
duration
raised
phonemic contrasts
English
//
/ɪ/
//
/ʊ/
distinctive features

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