An
open vowel is a
vowel sound of a type used in nearly all spoken
languages (one exception is
Arapaho). The defining characteristic of an open vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far as possible from the roof of the mouth. Open vowels are sometimes also called
low vowels in reference to the low position of the tongue. The open vowels identified in the
International Phonetic Alphabet are:
In the context of the
phonology of any particular language, a
low vowel can be any vowel that is more open than a
mid vowel. That is,
open-mid vowels,
near-open vowels, and open vowels can all be considered low vowels.
