Open central unrounded vowel

Open central unrounded vowel
Open central unrounded vowel
ä
ɐ̞
IPA Number	304 415
Audio sample
	source · help
Encoding
Entity (decimal)	ä
Unicode (hex)	U+00E4
X-SAMPA	a_" or a

IPA: Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i y	ɨ ʉ	ɯ u
Near-close	ɪ ʏ		ʊ
Close-mid	e ø	ɘ ɵ	ɤ o
Mid	e̞ ø̞	ə	ɤ̞ o̞
Open-mid	ɛ œ	ɜ ɞ	ʌ ɔ
Near-open	æ	ɐ
Open	a ɶ	ä	ɑ ɒ

Legend: unrounded • rounded

The open central unrounded vowel, or low central unrounded vowel,^[1] is a type of vowel sound, used in many spoken languages. While the International Phonetic Alphabet officially has no dedicated letter for this sound between front [a] and back [ɑ], it is normally written ⟨a⟩. If precision is required, it can be specified by using diacritics, typically centralized ⟨ä⟩.

However, it has been argued that the purported distinction between a front and central open vowel is based on outdated phonetic theories, and that cardinal [a] is the only open vowel, while [ɑ], like [æ], is a near-open vowel.^[2]^{[clarification needed]}

It is usual to use plain ⟨a⟩ for an open central vowel and, if needed, ⟨æ⟩ for an open front vowel. Sinologists may use the letter ⟨ᴀ⟩ (small capital A). The IPA has voted against officially adopting this symbol in 1976, 1989, and 2012.^[3]^[4]^[5]

^ While the International Phonetic Association prefers the terms "close" and "open" for vowel height, many linguists use "high" and "low".
^ Geoff Lindsey, The vowel space, March 27, 2013
^ Wells (1976).
^ International Phonetic Association (1989), p. 74.
^ Keating (2012).

[1] While the International Phonetic Association prefers the terms "close" and "open" for vowel height, many linguists use "high" and "low".

[2] Geoff Lindsey, The vowel space, March 27, 2013

[FOOTNOTEWells1976-3] Wells (1976).

[FOOTNOTEInternational_Phonetic_Association198974-4] International Phonetic Association (1989), p. 74.

[FOOTNOTEKeating2012-5] Keating (2012).

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