The next images are the main vowels used Cardinal Vowel diagrams;
the left one is with IPA (Thanks, it's from International Phonetic Alphabet), and
the right is with EL phonetics, corresponding each other position.
# The part of the tongue that is raised:
front > center > back. (from the left to the right)
# Close, mid-close, mid-open, open are the extent to which the tongue rises in the direction of the palate.
# The main kind of opening made at the lips is symbolically shown by the shape of a vowel base in EL, and a combination of them or a combination of a vowel and another diacritic forms a phonetic base overlay.
* Americans use various mid central vowels instead of the central schwa, so I added a rhotic one in the EL version.
* I use technical terms sometimes with casual English explanations.
Technical terms are more explained here.Joe Pike in California made a robot sound set for EL vowels above.
[i], [ e ], [a], (Cardinal vowel 16) show each basic vowel with natural lips;
[o], [u],[Y] show each basic vowel with formed lips.
# Two vowel bases are compounded on top of each other usually to show the middle sound of the vowels.
(NB): [o] works as the lips rounded diacritic and gives round lips
to another vowel or consonant in a base overlay and does not change the tongue raising position
even if it's compounded with another vowel.
# Many more distinguishing vowels are available with other diacritics which change the shift of vocal organs, such as:
( more open ), ( less open),
(backward or inner), (forward or outer),
(nasalized), etc.
# Vowel bases can be compounded with an approximant (produced by breathing
without friction through between almost approached organs of a certain consonant)
and represent a little different approximants from the originals.
# Some of the vowel bases are compounded with a consonant,
and work as diacritics with each tongue position or the shape of lips.
It needs some vowel or nasal situation at the same time to produce a consonant
that uses the vocal cord + glottis (for [h]) or the pharynx.
# When a vowel symbol is alone, it is a short syllable vowel.
# When two vowels are lining side by side without any syllabic sign,
these are pronounced as a diphthong shortly pronounced for each one.
# To show continuous independent vowels, compound (syllabic diacritic)
on top of the left vowel character to show that phoneme is one independent syllable. E.g.:
: The vowel of [ai] of 'high' in English; pronounced as a diphthong.
: The vowels of [ai] in Japanese, meaning ‘love’; pronounced as two syllables.
# To change the length longer or adding tones or accents or some extra trilling vibration, the particular symbol is compounded or is put right next to the vowel. For more, see the diacritics section .
* For convenience to check the dictionary, each base number is
in ( ) or { }.
[ i ](04)
Cardinal vowel 1:
Close front unrounded ( The symbolic shape of a
horizontal line to show the very narrow extent ); when it compounded with
a consonant, it works for palatalization: raising tongue to a high front
position at the same time as the primary articulation is made.
{52,63}
[ j ] Palatal approximant: voiced palatal (52), loosened (63) ; works for palatalization.
{31,52,63}
Voiced labial-palatal approximant: {labialized (31), {52,63} [ j ] Palatal approximant}
{31,64} [ W ] Excessive labiovelar approximant: through strongly (64) pointed shaped
lips (31)
(When labial works excessively, usually velar comes close automatically)
(NB): When #63 or #64 is compounded with a consonant base and a vowel or semivowel together in a base overlay, the consonant is given the priority to work with it, and totally pronounced as an approximant.
{30,14} Velar lateral
approximant: velarized vowel (30)
{10,63} Velar approximant:
loosened (63) voiced velar (10); the same to #30; works for velarization.
or {36,63} { the tongue tip raised(36) loosely(63) }:
Rhotic open-mid central unrounded vowel (Americans pronounces in various ways for schwa){63,66} Dental approximant: loosened (63) voiced dental (66)
{36,64} Retroflex approximant: emphasized (64)
{38,63} [υ] Labiodental approximant: voiced labiodental(38)