backness

English

Etymology

back + -ness

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bæk.nɪs/

Noun

backness (uncountable)

  1. (phonetics) Quality of being a back vowel.
    Antonym: frontness
    • 1996, Andrew Spencer, Phonology: theory and description, page 25:
      The most important aspects of vowel quality are tongue height, frontness/backness and lip rounding.
  2. (phonetics) A quality of vowels, indicating the horizontal position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth (front, near-front, central, near-back, or back).
    Synonym: frontness
    Coordinate terms: (vertical dimension) height, (lip articulation) roundedness, length, nasalization, reduction

Translations

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