It occurs allophonically in Weert Limburgish[6] as well as in some speakers ofDanish[7] andSwedish.[8] Certain transcriptions ofDanish use ⟨ɶ⟩ to denote anopen-mid front rounded vowel[œ].[7]
InMaastrichtian Limburgish, the vowel transcribed with ⟨ɶː⟩ in theMestreechter Taol dictionary is phonetically near-open central[ɐ̹ː]. It is a phonological open-mid front rounded vowel, the long counterpart of/œ/.[9]
Riad (2014) reports that[ɶː] in Stockholm Swedish is sometimes difficult to distinguish from[ɒː], which is the main realization of the/ɑː/ phoneme, a sign that both vowels are phonetically very close.[8]
Itsvowel height isopen, also known as low, which means the tongue is positioned far from the roof of the mouth – that is, low in the mouth.
Itsvowel backness isfront, which means the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as aconsonant. Rounded front vowels are oftencentralized, which means that often they are in factnear-front.
It isrounded, which means that the lips are rounded rather than spread or relaxed.
Near-open;[10] allophone of/ø/ between/ʁ/ and/v/ as well as an allophone of/œ/ between/ʁ/ and a nasal.[11] Other speakers pronounce it the same as[œ].[7] SeeDanish phonology
Pre-/r/ allophone of/øː/ (sometimes also/œ/) for younger speakers.[8] An acoustic study byPersson (2024) points instead to an open-mid central allophone,[12] e.g.öraⓘ. Open-mid[œː,œ] for older speakers.[8] SeeSwedish phonology
^Wells (1975), p. 52: "Although it may seldom or never be needed for phonemic transcription, I feel that for completeness' sake, and to fill an awkward gap in our vowel chart, we should recognize this symbol for an open front rounded vowel."
