= Vowel backness
<Vowel backness> describes how far forward or backward the principal <tongue> constriction lies during a <vowel>. Front, central and back are broad regions of this articulatory continuum. It is a separate descriptive dimension from <vowel height> and <lip rounding>.<Essentials of Linguistics (2nd edition) by Catherine Anderson and others>[§3.5, Backness and the vowel quadrangle]{ref}
The close <vowels> `[i]` and `[u]` give a familiar front/back contrast, but they also differ in ordinary <lip rounding>. Comparing them alone consequently does not isolate the effect of <vowel backness>. Holding another articulatory dimension approximately fixed, or measuring it separately, makes a stronger experiment. A <vowel> chart summarizes configurations; it is not a literal scale drawing of every speaker's <vocal tract>.
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