4 ms·

Norwegian has /ʏ, yː, ʉ, ʉː, ʊ, uː/. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_phonology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_phonology

• int_19h 3y ago
  Very interesting, thank you. I knew that vowel inventory in Germanic languages can get very impressive, but that formant chart is quite something: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_phonology#/media/File:Formant_values_of_Urban_East_Norwegian_monophthongs.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_phonology#/media/Fil... In the phonetic realization section, though, there's this: "The close /ʏ, yː, ʉ, ʉː/ have been variously described as protruded [ʏʷ, yʷː] and compressed [ʉ͍, ʉ͍ː] as well as compressed [ʏ͍, y͍ː] and protruded [ʉʷ, ʉʷː]. The backness of /ʉ, ʉː/ has also been variously described as central [ʉ, ʉː] and near-front [ʉ̟, ʉ̟ː]. Therefore, /ʏ, yː/ may be differentiated from /ʉ, ʉː/ by backness and the type of rounding or even only by the type of rounding" This last bit is actually even more surprising: two front-ish rounded vowels that are distinguished solely by how the lips are rounded? I can't help but wonder how stable such an arrangement could be long term.
  • gdprrrr 3y ago
    I have also found this about Swedish > Rounded vowels have two types of rounding: /ɵ/, /ʉː/, /ʊ/ and /uː/ are compressed [...] > /ʏ/, /yː/, /œ/ and its pre-/r/ allophone [œ̞], /øː/ and its pre-/r/ allophone [œ̞ː], /ɔ/ and /oː/ are protruded [...] > Type of rounding is the primary way of distinguishing /ʉː, ɵ/ from /yː, œ/, especially in Central Standard Swedish. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_phonology https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_phonology More about different kinds of rounding at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundedness https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundedness