raised vowel

{{Short description|Type of vowel sound}}

File:Esling vowel chart.png

A raised vowel is a vowel sound in which the body of the tongue is raised upward and backward toward the dorsum (soft palate). The most raised cardinal vowels are {{IPA|[u ɯ]}}; also quite raised are {{IPA|[ʊ]}}, {{IPA|[o ɤ]}} and {{IPA|[ʉ ɨ]}}.

Raised vowels and retracted vowels constitute the traditional but articulatorily-inaccurate category of back vowels, but they also cover most of the central vowels.