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Językoznawstwo baner

No. 4/25 (2025)

Articles

Positions of Polish phonemic vowels in the IPA Vowel Diagram estimated using neural networks trained on Cardinal Vowel Productions

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25312/j.9869  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2025-12-11

Abstract

This article aims to verify and refine the positions of Polish phonemic vowels in the IPA Vowel Diagram as proposed in phonetic literature. To achieve this, neural network models trained on productions of Cardinal Vowels by a representative group of phoneticians were used. This automated approach eliminates potential confounding effects of individual researchers’ intuitions, and the locations established this way may be more accurate within the Cardinal Vowel System. The results suggest positions similar to those proposed in articulatory descriptions found in the literature. Nonetheless, the placements tend to be more central. These findings are consistent with the observation that the relatively small inventory of Polish vowels does not require tense phonetic productions. All this points to the conclusion that the positions of Polish phonemic vowels should be placed slightly away from the edges of the Vowel Diagram, indicating more lax articulations.

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