close, closed:
Vowels are often classified by tongue height into
high [1],
mid [1], and
low [1].
Sometimes it is necessary or useful to specify tongue-height more precisely,
and the terms "close" (or "closed") and
open are used for that purpose.
"Close" sounds are those which are pronounced with the tongue closer to the palate (roof of the mouth)
than the norm for the more general height category.
(See the diagram of
phonetic symbols for vowels.)
The
[i] and
[u] sounds
(the "ee"
and "oo" sounds
in "beet"
and "kook"),
are high close vowels, in contrast with the more
open vowel sounds
[I]
and
[ʊ]
(which occur in "bit"
and "cook").
Frequently when vowels have such small differences in height,
they also have other differences, such as differences of
length or
tense/laxness, or
diphthongization.
The description above represents the way these terms have traditionally been used by linguists in the Americas. In the European tradition represented by the International Phonetic Alphabet (see the website of the International Phonetic Association), "close" and "open" are used only with mid vowels, to distinguish the two levels mid-close and mid-open. [Spanish: cerrado]
[Glosario lingüístico electrónico] /
[Electronic linguistic glossary]
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