Portuguese has two mid front vowels and two mid back vowels. One is open and the other is closed. However, the distinction is neutralized in nasal vowels.
Here are Portuguese minimal pairs to illustrate the contrast:
céu (sky) seu (yours)
sede (headquarters) sede (thirst)
só (alone) sou (am)
avó (grandmother) avô (grandfather)
The Portuguese words on the left have an open vowel, and the ones on the right have a closed vowel. The only difference is tongue height. However, the word sou (am) is pronounced with a diphthong in many varieties of Portuguese.
The distinction is neutralized in nasal vowels. The words bem (well) and menta (mint) both have an open vowel. This is also the case with bom (good) and ponte (mint).
The Portuguese language has two mid front vowels and two mid back vowels. One is open and the other is closed. The two vowels can contrast to create minimal pairs. However, in nasal vowels, the distinction is neutralized.
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