= Vowel height
<Vowel height> describes the relatively high or low configuration of the <tongue> during a <vowel>, together with the corresponding openness of the mouth. Close or high <vowels>, such as `[i]`, use a smaller opening than open or low <vowels>, such as `[a]`. The category describes articulation rather than perceived <pitch>.<Essentials of Linguistics (2nd edition) by Catherine Anderson and others>[§3.5, Height and articulatory diagrams]{ref}
An observation exercise alternates sustained `[i]` and `[a]` while attempting to keep <pitch> steady. The jaw and <tongue> configuration change even when <vocal fold> repetition rate remains similar. Recording the <formants> and the <fundamental frequency> measures different aspects of this contrast. The labels high, mid and low divide a continuous articulatory space into useful regions; they are not universal distances in millimetres.
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