In English, the mid and high back vowels are indeed rounded, while the front and central vowels are unrounded. This means that when pronouncing these vowels, the lips are rounded for the back vowels, but not for the front and central vowels.
To understand this concept better, let’s explore the different back vowels in English. The mid back vowel /ɔ/ as in “thought” or “bought” is rounded, meaning that when producing this sound, the lips are rounded and protruded. Similarly, the high back vowel /u/ as in “boot” or “moon” is also rounded.
On the other hand, the front vowels in English, such as /i/ as in “feet” or /e/ as in “bet,” are unrounded. When pronouncing these sounds, the lips are not rounded or protruded.
The central vowels, like /ə/ as in “about” or /ʌ/ as in “cut,” are also unrounded. These sounds are produced with a neutral lip position, without any lip rounding.
It’s important to note that the concept of rounded or unrounded vowels is not unique to English. Many languages distinguish between rounded and unrounded vowels, and the distinction can have different phonetic realizations in different languages.
As for personal experiences or situations related to this topic, I can share an anecdote about my experience learning a language with rounded back vowels. When I was studying French, I initially found it challenging to produce the rounded back vowel /u/ correctly. It took me some time to train my lips to round properly and consistently produce the sound. However, with practice and guidance from my language teacher, I was able to improve my pronunciation.
To summarize, in English, the mid and high back vowels are rounded, while the front and central vowels are unrounded. This distinction in lip position when producing these vowels is important for accurate pronunciation in English and other languages.