Near-close near-back rounded vowel

The near-close near-back rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ʊ, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is U. The IPA symbol is a small letter upsilon.

Features of this vowel:

• Its vowel height is near-open, which means the tongue is positioned similarly to a close vowel, but slightly less constricted.
• Its vowel backness is near-back, which means the tongue is positioned as in a back vowel, but slightly further forward in the mouth.
• Its vowel roundedness is rounded, which means that the lips are rounded.

Occurs in:

• English book [bʊk]
• German Schutz [ʃʊts] 'protection'

History

Prior to 1989, the IPA symbol was ɷ ("closed omega"); this symbol is now obsolete.