How to Use Cardinal Vowels
Linguists define vowels by the position of the lips and tongue. The tongue can curve very high, as in "ee" or "ooh" (closed vowels), or it can sit lower in the mouth, as in "ah" (open vowels). Also, the highest point of the tongue can be toward the front of the mouth as in "ee" or "ay" (front vowels), or it can be toward the back of the mouth as in "ooh" or "ah" (back vowels). For every tongue position, your lips can be relaxed or rounded. The cardinal vowels are eight ideal vowels which linguists use to compare the sounds of languages.
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Instructions
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Understand the Cardinal Vowels
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Say "ee." To make this sound, your tongue is as high and as far forward as it can go. It is similar to the sound in "bean" or "see," but think even higher and brighter.
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Say "ah," making the sound as dark as you can. Think of the vowel in "hot," "cot" or "olive." These two sounds, "ee" and "ah," are the two most extreme cardinal vowels. The highest and most forward vowel is "ee," and "ah" is the darkest and furthest back.
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Learn the other six primary cardinal vowels. The front cardinal vowels, decreasing in tongue height, are "ee" as in see, "ay" as the "a" in chaos, "eh" as in set, and "a," which is similar to ah but very forward and bright. Think of a stereotypical Boston accent and say, "park the car," and you will be close. The back vowels, also starting with the highest tongue position, are "oo" as in ooh, "oh" as the first vowel sound in so, "aw" as in cot or pot and "ah." Of the primary cardinal vowels, "oo," "oh" and "aw" are round; the others are not. These eight vowels illustrate the range of possible vowel sounds.
Describe the Sounds of a Language
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Listen to the sounds of a language. It could be your first language, one you have learned, or one you are studying for the first time.
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Compare the vowel sounds in the language to the ideal sounds of the primary cardinal vowels.
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Write the sounds of the language, using the closest cardinal vowel to the sound you are hearing. You can use the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), or use your own symbols as long as you understand them.
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Use subscript markings to indicate how the unique sound of the language or dialect you are studying differs from the ideal cardinal vowel. A "+" indicated that the vowel is more forward or brighter than the cardinal vowel, and a "-" indicates that the sound is a little farther back. A subscript "T" indicates that the sound is lower or more open than the cardinal vowel, and an upside-down "T" indicates a higher tongue position.
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Continue collecting data until you have a clear description of the vowel sounds of the language or dialect.
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Tips & Warnings
The best way to learn the sounds of the cardinal vowels is from someone who knows them and can correct you. In addition to the cardinal vowels, there are IPA symbols for additional vowels that use a tongue position closer to the middle of the mouth.
