What is "schwa"

1895, from German Schwa, ultimately from Hebrew shewa "a neutral vowel quality," literally "emptiness."

n. 1 An indeterminate central vowel sound as the "a" in "'''a'''bout", represented as /ə/ in IPA and /@/ in SAMPA and X-SAMPA. 2 The character ə, an upside-down, backwards, lower-case E

n. a neutral middle vowel; occurs in unstressed syllables [syn: shwa]

In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa ( or rarely ) (sometimes spelled shwa) refers to the mid central vowel sound (rounded or unrounded) in the middle of the vowel chart, denoted by the IPA symbol , or another vowel sound close to that position. An example in English is the vowel sound in the 'a' of the word 'about'. Schwa in English is mainly found in unstressed positions, but in some other languages it occurs more frequently as a stressed vowel.

In relation to certain languages, the name "schwa" and the symbol may be used for some other unstressed and toneless neutral vowel, not necessarily mid-central.

Schwa is the underground conceptual artwork of Bill Barker (born 1957). Barker draws deceptively simple black and white stick figures and oblong alien ships. However the artwork is not about the aliens: it is about how people react to the presence of the aliens and branding and Barker uses them as a metaphor for foreign and unknown ideas. Like likes, a priori. Schwa became an underground hit in the 1990s.

Schwa (Ә ә; italics: Ә ә) is a letter of the Cyrillic script. It is currently used in Abkhaz, Bashkir, Dungan, Itelmen, Kalmyk, Kazakh, Kurdish and Tatar. It was also used in Azeri, Karakalpak and Turkmen before those languages switched to the Latin alphabet. The Azeri and some other Latin-derived alphabets contain a letter of similar appearance ( Ə/ə).

Schwa is a mid-central vowel (transcribed ) or similar vowel sound.

Schwa may also refer to:

Schwa is an acclaimed, upscale restaurant run by chef-owner Michael Carlson in Chicago, United States. It is located in the West Town community area and is considered a leader in the molecular gastronomy style of cooking. Schwa is known for its unconventional approach to business. Simple table settings match the building's drab exterior and its tiny 26-seat interior. The restaurant employs no support staff of any kind. Chefs interact directly with customers and are encouraged to act as silly as they wish, as long as they produce top quality food.

Opening in 2005, Schwa quickly drew local and national attention resulting in a large backlog of reservations. In 2007, Schwa was chosen to host the opening night of Charlie Trotter's 20th anniversary celebration. The evening was considered a success, but placed a great deal of stress on Carlson, causing him to close Schwa the following day. After a four-month hiatus Schwa returned, much to the delight of local culinary enthusiasts, or "foodies".

Schwa's menu is known for unusual ingredients and innovative food combinations, such as Carlson's version of pad Thai made with jellyfish tentacles instead of noodles. The quail egg ravioli is considered the restaurant's signature dish.

Schwa has received positive reviews from both local and national critics. It has received three star to three-and-a-half star ratings from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago magazine, and the Mobil Travel Guide. BlackBook Magazine says Schwa features "some of the best food you will ever consume", while famed chef Grant Achatz lists it among his personal favorite places to eat. Several critics have stated that below-average service prevents the restaurant from getting a higher rating. Schwa made Citysearch's Top 10 New Restaurants of 2006 and New York magazine's Grub Street blog ranked it among the five hardest reservations to score in the country. In 2009, Schwa made Frommer's international list of 500 exceptional restaurants.