A retracted vowel is a vowel sound in which the body or root of the tongue is pulled back into the pharynx. The most retracted cardinal vowels are , which are so far back that the epiglottis may press against the back pharyngeal wall, and .  Raised or front vowels may be partially retracted, for example by an adjacent uvular consonant or by vowel harmony based on retracted tongue root. In both cases, , for example, may be retracted to .