A
retracted vowel is a
vowel sound in which the body or root of the tongue is pulled back into the pharynx. The most retracted cardinal vowels are , which are so far back that the
epiglottis may press against the back pharyngeal wall, and .
Raised or
front vowels may be partially retracted, for example by an adjacent
uvular consonant or by vowel harmony based on
retracted tongue root. In both cases, , for example, may be retracted to .