Editing Zulu language (section)

===Vowels===
[[File:Zulu vowel chart.svg|right|upright=1.13|thumb|Zulu vowel chart, from {{Harvcoltxt|Wade|1996}}]]
The vowel system of Zulu consists of five vowels.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
|
| {{IPA link|u}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ}}
|
| {{IPA link|ɔ}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
|
| {{IPA link|ä|a}}
|
|}

{{IPA|/ɛ/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ/}} are pronounced [{{IPA link|e}}] and [{{IPA link|o}}], respectively, if the following syllable contains the [+[[Advanced and retracted tongue root|ATR]]] vowels {{IPA|/i/}} or {{IPA|/u/}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=PHOIBLE 2.0 -|url=https://phoible.org/inventories/view/147#tipa|access-date=2020-10-10|website=phoible.org}}</ref> They are {{IPA|[ɛ]}} and {{IPA|[ɔ]}} otherwise:
* ''umgibeli'' "passenger", phonetically {{IPA|[úm̩̀ɡìɓé(ː)lì]}}
* ''ukupheka'' "to cook", phonetically {{IPA|[ùɠúpʰɛ̀(ː)ɠà]}}

There is limited [[vowel length]] in Zulu, as a result of the contraction of certain syllables. For example, the word ''ithambo'' {{IPA|/íːtʰámbó/}} "bone", is a contraction of an earlier ''ilithambo'' {{IPA|/ílítʰámbó/}}, which may still be used by some speakers. Likewise, ''uphahla'' {{IPA|/úːpʰaɬa/}} "roof" is a contraction of the earlier ''uluphahla'' {{IPA|/ulúpʰaɬa/}}. In addition, the vowel of the penultimate syllable is allophonically lengthened phrase- or sentence-finally.