the most frequently reported central-vowel phonemes with dedicated IPA letters are and , occurring in 675 (22%) and 491 (16%) inventories respectively. Other dedicated central-vowel letters such as , , , and are much less common.

Articulation and acoustics

Central vowels are defined primarily by tongue-body position (and often jaw position). Because the vowel space is continuous rather than divided into sharp boundaries, vowels described as central may vary in their precise articulation across languages and transcription traditions.

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