The short open back vowel

The short open back vowel (monophthong) is pronounced by the back of the tongue being raised slightly from its fully open position. There is some constriction in the velum. The lips are spread to neutral. The sound differs substantially from its Norwegian counterpart, which is half-open and pronounced with considerable lip rounding. SBE is not found in American English, which consistently uses in all instances where this sound occurs. The illustration on the right shows the relative position of the sound.