VOWELS
24 Vowels are called open or close according as the mouth in
speaking them is more open or less open. The most open
vowel is ᾱ; in speaking it both tongue and lips are as much as possible out of the way. In ῑ the tongue narrows the
opening; its edges lie close to the teeth, the breath issuing along the middle. In ου
the lips are rounded so as to narrow the opening, while the
tongue is drawn back. In ῡ the opening is narrowed by the tongue as for ῑ and by the
lips as for oυ. Thus ῑ, ῡ, and ου are the closest vowel sounds. Between ᾱ and ῑ are η,
ε, and ει; between ᾱ and oυ are ω and o. These relations are suggested in the following
table:
|
|
|
|
Open |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ᾱ |
|
α |
|
|
|
|
|
η |
|
|
|
ω |
|
|
|
ε |
ει |
|
|
|
|
ο |
|
| Close (tongue) |
ι |
ῑ |
|
υ |
ῡ |
|
ου |
Close (lips) |