Vowel height refers to which aspect?

• A. The horizontal tongue position
• B. The lip rounding
• C. The vertical position of the tongue
• D. The duration of the vowel

Answer: (C)

Vowel height describes how high or low the tongue is in the mouth during articulation. This vertical position determines high (close) vowels, where the tongue is raised toward the palate, and low (open) vowels, where the tongue is lowered. So the concept being tested is the vertical position of the tongue. The horizontal tongue position (backness) deals with how far forward or back the tongue sits, lip rounding concerns the shape of the lips, and duration is about how long the vowel lasts, not its height. For example, vowels like in “see” or “beat” use a high tongue height, while vowels like in “cat” use a low height.