Illustrative Words for Vowels
Illustrative words for the three vowels are shown in the following word list:
| Word | IPA | Meaning | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /i/ | bintang | [bintɑŋ] | 'star' | ||
| /a/ | tahun | [tahun] | 'year' | ||
| /u/ | bukit | [bukit˺] | 'hill' | ||
In fact, when listening to these words, it is clear that there is considerable variation in the pronunciation of /a/, with a back vowel [ɑ] in in the second syllable of bintang (influenced by the following velar consonant), but a much more front vowel [a] in tahun.