Close central rounded vowel

The close central protruded vowel is typically transcribed in IPA simply as , and that is the convention used in this article. As there is no dedicated diacritic for protrusion in the IPA, symbol for the close central rounded vowel with an old diacritic for labialization, , can be used as an ad hoc symbol for the close central protruded vowel. Another possible transcription is or (a close central vowel modified by endolabialization), but this could be misread as a diphthong. Features of Occurrence Because central rounded vowels are assumed to have protrusion, and few descriptions cover the distinction, some of the following may actually have compression. ==Close central compressed vowel==

As there are no diacritics in the IPA to distinguish protruded and compressed rounding, an old diacritic for labialization, (the opposite of ), will be used here as an ad hoc symbol for compressed central vowels. It was only added to Unicode in 2025, however, and it may take some time for font support to catch up. Another attested transcription is ( modified with labial compression), though this may imply that the vowel is a diphthong (as indeed it is in Swedish). The central-vowel stroke of may also be used with the front compressed vowel to create the ad hoc symbol , or the diacritic for centralization to create . Features Occurrence This vowel is typically transcribed in IPA with . It occurs in some dialects of Swedish, but see also close front compressed vowel. The close back vowels of Norwegian and Swedish are also compressed. See close back compressed vowel. It also occurs in Japanese as an allophone. Medumba has a compressed central vowel where the corners of the mouth are not drawn together. ==Near-close central protruded vowel==

Some languages feature the near-close central rounded vowel, which is slightly lower than a typical . It is most often transcribed in IPA with , and , but is also a possible transcription. The symbol , a conflation of and , is used as an unofficial extension of the IPA to represent this sound by a number of publications, such as Accents of English by John C. Wells. Features Occurrence ==Near-close central compressed vowel==

As there are no diacritics in the IPA to distinguish protruded and compressed rounding, an old diacritic for labialization, (the opposite of ), will be used here as an ad hoc symbol for compressed central vowels. It was only added to Unicode in 2025, however, and it may take some time for font support to catch up. The central-vowel stroke of may also be used with the front compressed vowel to create the ad hoc symbol , or the diacritic for centralization to create . Features Occurrence ==See also==