Définition et Signification de "roundness"

What is "roundness"?

Roundness refers to the shape of the lips when producing certain vowel sounds. In phonetics, vowels can be classified as rounded or unrounded based on whether the lips are rounded or not during articulation. Rounded vowels, such as the "o" in "go" or the "u" in "blue," involve the lips being rounded and protruded. In contrast, unrounded vowels, like the "a" in "cat" or the "i" in "sit," are produced with the lips in a neutral position. Roundness is important in phonetics because it affects the quality of vowel sounds and can help differentiate between words in various languages.