Which vowels are shared by all Eskimo-Aleut languages?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

All Eskimo-Aleut languages share three fundamental vowels: a, i, and u.1

While these are the universal vowels, their specific pronunciation is influenced by the consonants that precede or follow them. These vowels can appear in both simple, short forms and as long vowels. Some dialects include additional vowel sounds—such as the short e found in Yupik—but these do not exist across all languages in the family, having merged with other vowels or been dropped in Inuit and Unangam Tunuu.1