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Linguistics

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    Your Vietnamese example works only if you count all the diphthongs and triphthongs as separate vowels. The orthography recognises only 9 vowels and 6 tones. Commented Apr 21, 2023 at 18:33
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    Diphthongs and triphthongs are often treated as separate vowels, just as "prenasalized stops" and affricates are often treated as separate phonemes. Likewise there is a debate as to whether Chinese has [k, kʷ] as phonemes, of [k,w] and some clusters. Commented Apr 21, 2023 at 23:25
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    For the sake of this question: The clearer the vowel majority is, the better. When there is a vowel majority without invoking tone, length, and diphthongs the example is just perfect. Commented Apr 22, 2023 at 19:33
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    @fdb English orthography "recognizes" five or six vowels, but there are far more vowels actually used. The mapping of phonemes to letters is never one to one. Commented Apr 23, 2023 at 20:44
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    @PCLuddite. In the case of Vietnamese the assumption of 9 vowel phonemes is an adequate and economical phonological analysis, with tone as a super-sequential feature. Commented Apr 23, 2023 at 21:45