tense vowel
Quick Summary
In linguistics, a tense vowel is a vowel sound produced with greater muscular effort, slightly higher tongue positions, and longer durations compared to lax vowels. This contrasts with lax vowels, which are articulated with less muscular effort and shorter durations. The concept of tense versus lax vowels is one way to classify vowel articulation, alongside other features like tongue height (high, mid, low) and tongue backness (front, back). For example, in some languages, the vowels in "machine" (i) and "rule" (u) are considered tense, while the vowels in "fit" (i) and "put" (u) might be considered lax.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- vowel
Tense vowels are articulated with greater muscular effort, slightly higher tongue positions, and longer durations than lax vowels.
Read MoreTense vowels are articulated with greater muscular effort, slightly higher tongue positions, and longer durations than lax vowels.
Read More 
phoneticsVowels…authorities use terms such as tense and lax to describe the degree of tension in the tongue muscles, particularly those muscles responsible for the bunching up of the tongue lengthways. Other authorities use the term tense to specify a greater degree of muscular activity, resulting in a greater deformation of…
Read More…authorities use terms such as tense and lax to describe the degree of tension in the tongue muscles, particularly those muscles responsible for the bunching up of the tongue lengthways. Other authorities use the term tense to specify a greater degree of muscular activity, resulting in a greater deformation of…
Read More